The State is facing a severe crunch of funds for the Modernising Police Forces (MPF) programme, according to sources in the State Police Headquarters.
Information available with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reveal that States like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are taking away large sums of funds for police modernisation.
Even States like Bihar and Maharashtra are getting more funds than Odisha which is facing worst kinds of Maoist menace and witnessing large-scale industrialisation and urbanisation.
The MHA has divided all the 28 States into two categories, A and B, for Central funding under the MPF.The Category-A States include Jammu & Kashmir and all the seven North Eastern States, which receive Central allocations on 90:10 basis, i.e, the Centre provides 90 per cent of the MPF and the States bear 10 per cent of the plan. All other States, including Odisha, are in Category-B and they bear 40 per cent of the plan, the remaining 60 per cent being provided by the MHA.
Officers in Odisha’s Department of Home (DoH) are clueless as to why during the finalisation of the Annual Action Plan (AAP), the MHA is keeping the criteria unclear. This is leaving States like Odisha in a confused state about the intentions of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in case of funding in the MPF.
Steadily, Odisha is getting less and less amount in the MPF though it has made a substantial expansion of the police system, for which there is requirement of funds to train and equip the additional manpower.
While the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) allocated Rs 28.98 crore under the MPF to Odisha, Andhra Pradesh got Rs 77.92 crore in 2013-14 under the Central Plan. Bihar has taken away Rs.51.31 crore while Madhya Pradesh has cornered Rs 50.37 crore.
In 2013-14, Odisha was expecting Rs 50 crore from Central Plan under the MPF whereas the MHA sanctioned much less, leaving the State in dire straits, pointed out a senior official in the DoH.Earlier, the MHA was amenable to provide more funds to the State during 2009-10, 2010-11, but slowly it has cut down the support, said the official sources.
During 2009-10, Odisha got Rs 65.08 crore, which came down to Rs 62.47 crore in 2010-11. In 2011-12, the Centre allocated Rs 28.93 crore and it never provided funds till January-2012, resulting in serious funds crunch in the MPF.
Recently, the DoH has once again raised the issue of getting less allocation under the MPF with the MHA and urged the Centre to make special allocations for the State, said the sources.