The Orissa High Court has instructed the Home Department to ensure that the Gram Rakhi workers receive fair compensation.
The Gram Rakhi focuses on preventing crime, rather than just fighting it.
ANGIKAR NEWS
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has expressed serious concern over the "abysmally low allowances" paid to the Gram Rakhis despite their vital role in community policing. The court has directed the state Home department to consider providing decent remuneration to them.
Justice SK Panigrahi issued the direction while disposing of a batch of petitions seeking to revise the pay of Gram Rakhis and extend other service benefits to them on par with the state government employees. The Gram Rakhi Sanghas in Angul, Bargarh, and Keonjhar districts had filed three separate petitions, stating that the 18,445 personnel serving in the state are receiving a meager monthly salary of Rs 800.
Taking note of their plight, Justice Panigrahi observed that the role of Gram Rakhis is proactive unlike the reactive nature of the police. He stated that Gram Rakhis focus more on crime prevention than combating crime and play a commendable role in helping the police control crime in rural areas.
While refraining from passing any order on fixing allowance for them, Justice Panigrahi asked the petitioners to approach the department concerned with their grievances. He directed the department to consider a decent allowance structure for the Gram Rakhis, considering their diverse and multitasking job profile.
In the July 16 order released on Friday, Justice Panigrahi directed the department to decide the aforementioned allowances within a period of three months from the date of the order presentation.
The petitioners claimed that the Gram Rakhis are like policemen without uniforms and play an important role in the community policing system at the village level. They face hazardous situations while discharging their duties and hence, pleaded for an enhancement of their allowances on par with the home guards.
In addition to bridging the gap between police and citizens, they also perform crucial functions such as identifying criminals in their area, assisting the police in executing warrants and making arrests. They also regularly report important crime or secret reports to the police stations.
The petitioners highlighted that the Gram Rakhis handle official documents, guard accident sites, vehicles, and goods, and provide assistance in postmortem work.
