NEW DELHI: Budgetary allocation for police modernisation and infrastructure got a major boost in the Union Budget presented on Wednesday. The Government allocated Rs 2,022 crore for the next fiscal in contrast to the Budget Estimate (BE) of Rs 1,685 crore for 2016-17 and a significant Rs 4,447 crore for police infrastructure for 2017-18 as against Rs 3,265 crore in the ongoing fiscal, a jump of over 36 per cent.
Police infrastructure entails construction of building for the Central paramilitary forces, Central police organisation and Delhi Police
Border Infrastructure and Management also received a significant hike with the Centre allocating Rs 2,600 crore in the Budget for the next fiscal in comparison to 1,926.51 crore Revised Estimates for 2016-17. The Budgetary Estimate, however, was Rs 2699 crore. Out of the Rs 2,600 crore allocated for the next fiscal under the head, Rs 2,355.68 crore has been earmarked for capital expenditure implying that the fund will be used for procurement of machinery, equipment and motor vehicles.
The CRPF has been allocated Rs 17,868.53 crore for the next fiscal as against Rs 16,228.18 crore in the BE for 2016-17. The BSF has been granted 15,569.11 crore for 2017-18 in contrast to Rs 14,652 crore for the ongoing fiscal.
Counter-terror force the National Security Guard got a major hike in allocation with the Centre earmarking Rs 816.10 crore for the next fiscal as against Rs 688.47 crore for the ongoing financial year, a jump of 18.53 per cent.
Other paramilitary forces like the ITBP, CISF, Assam Rifles and Sashastra Seema Bal received a jump of over 10 per cent.
The Intelligence Bureau also got a significant hike from the allocation of Rs 1410.45 crore in the ongoing fiscal to Rs 1577.07 crore for 2017-18 budget.
The National Intelligence Grid got a marginal hike of just Rs 57 lakh with the Centre earmarking Rs 45.57 crore in the Union Budget as against the allocation of Rs 45 crore in the last fiscal. The National Intelligence Grid aims to link databases as an input in combating terrorism. It intends to create a facility to improve the capability to counter internal security threats.
The National Emergency Response System and Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children under the head Schemes for Safety of Women was more than doubled with the Government allocating Rs 313.30 crore for 2017-18 as against Rs 150 crore for the last fiscal.
The National Emergency Response System and Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children aims backend integration of distress signal from victims, with the help of mobile vans and control rooms (now renamed as National Emergency Response System), Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children.
The budgetary allocation for the Union Home Ministry for the fiscal 2017-18 has been hiked by 6.35 per cent. The revised budgetary estimate for 2016-17 was Rs 78,820 crore which has been increased to Rs 83,830 crore for next fiscal.