The Union home ministry, which has been pitching for a 15 to 20 per cent hike in the money set apart for it, is looking forward to the Budget tomorrow to see if its plea for more funds to tackle militancy and insurgency has been heard or not. Senior home ministry officials said there is an urgent need to tackle the problem of militancy, insurgency and Naxal violence in the country at the earliest and for that special attention needs to be paid to para-military forces.
"We have pitched for a substantial increase in our allocation. With the focus now on security, we are hopeful that the Budget will duly express our wishes," a senior official said. In the Budget for the last fiscal, the Union home ministry was allocated Rs 25,923.18 crore, which was a meagre hike from the financial year of 2007-08, when it was pegged at Rs21,633.49 crore.
A bulk of the increase in the home ministry allocation has been suggested because of additional allotment for central paramilitary forces and modernising the police force. Almost all the para-military outfits have to raise additional battalions, for which more funds would be required, the officials said, adding that equipment has to be brought for them to face the changing face of terror.
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