With a focus on bettering internal security in the country, the Union Home Ministry has received a whooping 33 per cent increase in the 2009-10 General Budget over the last year's allocation.
A bulk of increase in the Home Ministry budget is because of additional allotment of funds for Central para-military forces for raising new battalions and training personnel, according to the Budget papers.
The Budget, presented in Parliament today by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, has earmarked Rs 33,809.86 crore for the Home Ministry against Rs 25,439 crore in 2008-09, showing a raise of nearly 33 per cent.
Under the head of border management, Rs 408.30 crore has been allotted for improving coastal security, maintenance of border work and setting up of new border outposts.
An additional amount of Rs 1,924.93 crore has been set aside for providing assistance to the states for modernisation of police forces, other security related expenditures, establishment of critical infrastructure in Left wing extremism-affected areas, for assistance to the counter-insurgency machinery and setting up of schools to train personnel in anti-terror operations.
Under the category for modernisation of police force, more assistance will be provided to states and UTs in the form of 100 per cent grants-in-aid.
The money will be utilised for non-recurring expenditure like purchase of vehicles, wireless equipment, computers and other sophisticated gadgets and for development of infrastructure in extremism-hit areas.
The Budget also lays emphasis on residential accommodation for para-military force personnel by raising allocation for the purpose from Rs 405.70 crore to Rs 544.04 crore.
Further, the Budget has provisions for special schemes, including one to provide assistance to states for establishment of schools imparting training to police personnel to fight insurgency and terrorism. The amount earmarked for this is Rs 10.5 crore.
Budgetary allocation for the setting up of Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders to stop illegal immigration has been increased to Rs 144 crore from Rs 35 crore in the last fiscal.
