Karnataka Home Minister MB Patil hinted that there could be a hike in the salary of police officers working in the state following a meeting held with officials of the Home and Finance Department about the implementation of the Raghavendra Auradkar committee report.
The report has recommended measures including pay hike and promotions for police staff.
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy called for a detailed report on the salaries of policemen, prison staff and Fire & Emergency Services Department. In the meeting, the Auradkar Committee report was also discussed. “We discussed all aspects of the report with various department heads and we have requested the Chief Minister to approve the salary hike for policemen and promotions as recommended by the report," MB Patil told reporters following the meeting.
In 2016, a committee headed by Raghavendra Auradkar, ADGP (Recruitment and Training), had recommended 30-35% hike in salary for police personnel.
The committee studied the pay scales of police officials in 10 states and found that Karnataka ranked 8th. It recommended a 30-35 % hike in basic pay and liberal rise in their perks for non-IPS personnel. This would mean a rise in pay by Rs 6500 to Rs 8500 in the salary. If the committee's recommendations are implemented, police constables will earn Rs 18,200 instead of Rs 11,600.
The report also included allowances for fitness and uniform. There is also a risk allowance of Rs. 2,500 for continuous duty extending beyond two days.
MB Patil explained that the increase in salaries would burden the state exchequer with an additional Rs. 600 crore. The Finance Department will consider the recommendations made by the report. "We hope to give the good news to the police within ten days," Patil added. The Auradkar committee was constituted following the threat of strike by personnel working in the police force.