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New Delhi: As of December 2022-23, three of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) had not spent even a penny of the modernisation funds allocated to them for the financial year 2022-23, government data shows.. These forces are the National Security Guard (NSG), Indias premier anti-terrorist-contingency force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), responsible for securing the border with China, and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which is deployed along the borders with Nepal and Bhutan...
According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHAs) annual report for 2022-23, the NSG was allocated Rs 33.38 crore for modernisation in FY 2022-23, while the ITBP got Rs 3 crore..
The CAPFs which have cited inadequate funds as a deterrent to development and technology upgrade had overall spent less than 10 percent of their modernisation funds for 2022-23 three quarters into the financial year...
The funds were allocated under the Union governments Modernisation Plan-IV for CAPFs, which was launched on 1 February 1 2022 and had an outlay of Rs 1,523 crore for upgrading weapons, vehicles and equipment used by the forces..
Speaking to ThePrint, an NSG officer privy to its policymaking said modernisation is not a yearly phenomenon, adding that they are waiting for maturity in technology to utilise the modernisation funds...
