NEW DELHI: India has 7,148 soldiers in the UN peacekeeping missions at various countries now and it has lost 16 soldiers on duty since 2011. This information was given in the Lok Sabha by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley in a written reply to questions on last Friday.
India’s largest contribution of peacekeepers is to the UN mission in Congo, where there are 3,767 personnel. It had lost two personnel in the Congo mission in these four years. India’s second largest contribution, 2,268 personnel, is to the UN mission in South Sudan, where it has lost eight Indian soldiers since 2011.
The third highest contribution of Indian peacekeepers is to Lebanon, where 897 personnel are deployed. That mission lost six personnel during the same period.
Indian soldiers are posted at Golan Heights (194), Sudan (4), Ivory Coast (9), Iraq (1) and UN Headquarters in New York(8). India had one of its personnel posted at East Timor UN Mission in 2011, but since then nobody has been posted there.
The soldiers at the UN peacekeeping missions get paid by the global body at the standard rate of $1,028 a month for each personnel as pay and allowances on contingent status. In addition, the UN also pays $303 a month for specialists up to 25 per cent in a logistic unit and 10 per cent of the personnel in an infantry battalion.
The personnel also get $68 towards monthly charges for personal clothing, gear and equipment. They also get personal weaponry usage of $5, a daily sustenance allowance of $1.28 and recreational allowance a day for up to 15 days in a six-month tenure. The UN takes care of the personnel’s ration, accommodation, fuel, internet, defence stores and advanced medical facilities.