Why is welfare at the heart of Police reform?
Some moments quietly reshape how one sees an institution. A few months ago, I inquired about booking a banquet hall for my daughter’s wedding and was quoted nearly Rs 20 lakh for the venue, which gave me pause. I immediately thought: if a Director General of Police hesitate at this cost, what must a constable feel? What pressures must a head constable or ASI face when struggling to save for his daughter’s wedding? In that instant, the issue ceased to be administrative and became personal. Inside every uniform stands a family carrying invisible burdens with quiet dignity. That moment inspired and gave birth to Haryana Police’s Shagun Scheme-not as charity, but as a declaration: those who protect society deserve the assurance that their institution will stand beside them at life’s most significant milestones.
The scheme with a purpose
On my first day as Director General of Police, Haryana, I announced the scheme. From April 1, 2026, every police employee from the lowest rank to the top cop will receive Rs 2.5 lakh from the Police Welfare Fund for a daughter’s marriage. All police personnel support this fund through voluntary contributions, thereby demonstrating solidarity of the Haryana Police Parivar. The purpose is simple: ease the heavy, often unspoken wedding costs that many police families face. A Haryana constable earns a respectable salary after tough work and sacrifice, but this salary often does not meet the current costs of a wedding. Families borrow, sell assets, and accumulate debt. These anxieties rarely appear in reports but affect police households daily.
The Shagun Scheme takes this commitment further. Haryana Police has converted community halls within Police Lines across the state into dedicated banquet halls - dignified, affordable venues for weddings and social functions, open to police families at nominal cost and to the general public at accessible rates. This is not merely infrastructure. It is welfare with a social conscience.
Importantly, the Shagun Scheme is not an isolated welfare measure, but part of a broader philosophy-Our Force, Our Family-anchored in the belief that if society expects its police personnel to stand as the first line of defence, the institution must stand by them in moments of need, aspiration, and loss. We support welfare in many ways. Since 2022, over 19,000 staff have had regular health check-ups; annual health screenings are in place. Mental health support, counselling, de-addiction, yoga, fitness, and wellness programs help tackle both the mental and physical needs of policing. We offer interest-free loans for emergencies, education, and housing. Families of employees who die while in service receive up to Rs 1.5 crore in insurance; over Rs 188 crore has already been paid out by HDFC Bank. There are also compassionate jobs, ex gratia, martyr benefits, and death reliefs, etc., as part of our welfare measures.
Education has emerged as another cornerstone of welfare. Haryana Police’s network of 22 DAV Police Public Schools today educates over 23,000 children of police personnel, with support from fee concessions, scholarships, e-libraries, skill-development initiatives, and career guidance programmes. A recently launched hostel support scheme provides financial assistance of up to Rs. 50,000/- to personnel whose children pursue higher education away from home. We uphold operational dignity through weekly rest days, childcare leave, grievance systems, honorary promotions, and efforts to post couples together or women near their home districts. These steps provide a humane approach to workforce management. Significantly, Haryana remains the only state to provide a matching grant for police welfare, with the Chief Minister announcing a Rs 16 crore grant for the current year. Such initiatives recognise an enduring truth: a motivated police force is built not only through training and technology, but through trust, care, and institutional compassion.
The missing dimension in Police reform
Conversations on police reform focus on operations-new laws, accountability, technology, forensics, and faster investigations. These are essential, but we often overlook one key area: the welfare and well-being of police personnel. A police force’s effectiveness depends on more than its systems. Morale, dignity, and welfare of police personnel are essential. The force works best when its members feel valued and secure.
The link between welfare and performance is well established. The International Association of Chiefs of Police has noted that officers’ physical, psychological, and financial well-being directly influences professional conduct, institutional integrity, and public trust. Similarly, studies by India’s Bureau of Police Research and Development have highlighted dissatisfaction among personnel as a significant factor affecting public-police relations. Reform that ignores the individual behind the badge remains inherently incomplete. The reality is straightforward. A police officer burdened by financial worries, family concerns, or personal stress cannot be expected to perform with complete focus and composure. Anxiety carried from home to the workplace inevitably affects judgment, responsiveness, and public interactions. Over time, unresolved stress can lead to disengagement, frustration, and declining morale. The experience of police, paramilitary, and armed forces worldwide demonstrates a simple truth: the welfare of personnel is inseparable from the effectiveness of the force. Individuals can devote themselves fully to duty only when they are confident that their families are cared for and their own well-being matters to the institution they serve.
Today, in Haryana, a constable is saving for his daughter’s wedding. Now he knows the institution supports him. He can afford a police banquet hall. His child’s education is backed. If illness or crisis strikes, help is there. This assurance changes how he wears the uniform. He works with less anxiety and more pride. Police welfare is an evolving concept. Haryana Police’s humane approach is working to close the gap between what the institution demands of its personnel and what it offers in return. This is not sentimentalism. It is the practical logic of human dignity - a force that feels cared for, cares better. That is the foundation upon which genuine reform takes root. As we continue our journey, let us remember: true transformation begins by honouring those who serve and ensuring their well-being, which is always at the core of our reforms.
The writer is Director General of Police, Haryana; Views presented are personal.
