In an alarming trend in attrition, as many as 25,288 officers and jawans of the CRPF have resorted to voluntary retirement and resignations since 2011 besides 10, 362 personnel who left the force due to superannuation, invalidation, dismissal and termination.
Hard and harsh working conditions including 12 to 14 hours of job daily without proper leave is one of the reasons for the attrition. Deployment of the Force’s personnel in far-flung areas and contonious deployment away from home, home sickness and the pitfalls of nuclear family besides personal problems and family disputes are other reasons for the attrition. Better job opportunities and less harsh working conditions outside the Force also contribute the personnel resorting to voluntary retirement, according to inputs with the Union Home Ministry.
Against a housing satisfaction fixed at 25 per cent of the personnel (88,168) out of the sanctioned strength of 3,24,093 at the static locations like group centres, training institutions and battalions raised on unattached patterns like Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), Rapid Action Force (RAF), Mahila Battalions is only 11.83 per cent.
Out of the authorised 88, 168 houses, 37,801 have been contructed and 12,014 are under construction and the net deficiency is 38,353.
A Parliamentary panel has noted that such a poor level of housing satisfaction level could be one of the major reasons for high attrition in the paramilitary. While directing the government to expedite the under construction 12,014 houses without time and cost overruns, the panel also advised the Centre to chalk out an action plan to achive the objective of constructing the remaining 38, 353 quarters within the stipulated timeframe.
The Force personnel suffer casualties not only due to countering the insurgents in the Naxal areas, Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir but also while operating in hostile terrain and inhospitable working conditions which generate "extreme stress and strain on their physical and mental health. During the last eight years since 2010, more personnel have been killed due to diseases than in action. As many as 798 personnel have been killed due to heart attack but the casualties during operation stood at 391 during the period between 2010 and 2017. Likewise, cancer took a toll of 334 personnel followed by 94 deaths due to cerebral malaria and six casualties due to snake bite.
Central Reserve Police Force is the world's largest paramilitary force and the designated agency for anti-Naxal operations, countering terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir and insurgents in the Northeast.