What could be the riskiest job in Kerala, that of a police personnel or of a livestock inspector? If the question is asked in a quiz contest, the answer would be police personnel. But if the question is being asked by the Government of Kerala, think twice before giving the answer. The amount given by the government as risk allowance to the staff indicates that the job of livestock inspector is riskier than the police personnel.
A livestock inspector is getting `500 per month as risk allowance while the civil police officer is getting a mere `50. Those who are putting their lives at risk for the security of the state are being humiliated by the government.
The latest pay revision hiked the risk allowance of civil police officers from `30 to `50 while the livestock inspectors enjoyed a ten times hike from `50 to `500. The murder of Maniyan Pillai, a police personnel in Kollam while on duty, has forced the Kerala Police Association (KPA) to bring the issue once again to the notice of the government. They have already given several requests on the matter. But a favour from the government is still a distant dream.
“We face risk in every minute of duty. What will happen to us while on duty cannot be predicted. The government is underestimating the risk we are taking. The difference in the amount of risk allowance compared with other departments makes it obvious,” one of the KPA members told Express.
They are trying to bring this discrimination into the attention of the state government on the background of the murder of Maniyan Pillai. The officers in the police department are also getting comparatively low risk allowance than the livestock inspectors.
Other risky departments like Excise and Fire Force are also getting a meagre amount as risk allowance. However, the most embarrassing fact is that only two of the forest stations are getting the risk allowance in the state.
Forest officials have been demanding risk allowance for a long time, but the department has not shown any mercy to them yet.