A fortnight after Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh launched ‘one rank up promotion’ scheme to end stagnation in the state police force, the state police chief Suresh Arora on Monday made a formal beginning of the assured career progression scheme by pinning stars on 11 policemen. 

The state Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora promoted 11 police personnel to the higher rank including sub-inspector (SI) Kulbir Singh (Rupnagar) and Indermohan (Patiala) to the local rank of Inspector; Assistant SI Harbhajan Singh (ludhiana), Gurmail Singh (Bathinda), Shashipal (Jalandhar), Pradeep Kumar (Patiala), Karamjit Singh (Patiala) and Pal Singh (Patiala) to the local rank of SI; and head constables Malkiat Singh (ludhiana), Jagdeep Singh (Patiala) and Harbhajan Singh (Patiala) elevated to the local rank of ASI. 

Congratulating the promotees, Arora exhorted them to work wholeheartedly with honesty and zeal. He also sought suggestions from them to eradicate the menace of drugs in the state and bring more improvement in the functioning of state Police. 

“No personnel would face any difficulty for their promotion under this new scheme implemented by the Punjab Police and no employee would face retirement before the promotion of ASI,” he said. 

Divulging more, Arora said that provisions have been made under the scheme that employees would get promotion after 16 years of service from head constable to ASI and Sub-Inspector post after 24 years of service from ASI. Besides, Sub-Inspector would get promotion as an Inspector after 30 years of service, he said. 

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder had launched ‘one rank up promotion’ scheme for assured career progression of the police personnel at the Police Recruit Training Centre, Jahan Khelan in Hoshiarpur district on July 9, saying that it would currently encompass only rank elevation, and the government would look at finding ways to also enhance their salaries. 

The Chief Minister had expressed concern over the disillusionment in the force due to high stagnation in the rank of Head Constable and Non-Gazetted Officer (NGO), as several police officials are not promoted despite being eligible due to the availability of fewer vacancies in the rank.