State to recruit 3,000 youths for new RAF battalion

MP, Kolkata: The state government will recruit more than 10,000 people in different posts, including 3,000 to raise a new battalion of the Rapid Action Force (RAF).

The additional unit of RAF will be raised, as the Centre often shows reluctance in providing Central forces to control law and order situations, like the one in the Hills a few months ago.

The decision to recruit such a large number of people in various posts of different departments has been taken in the cabinet meeting, that was held in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's office in the state Assembly on Friday.

After the cabinet meeting, Partha Chatterjee, the state Parliamentary Affairs minister, said: "Often, it is found that the Centre shows reluctance in providing forces to tackle law and order situations. So, the decision has been taken to raise another unit of RAF, for which 3,000 new posts have been created."

It may be recalled that the matter related to the sanction of Central forces for deployment in the Hills, had moved to the court as there was no clearance for the same from the Centre, despite repeated requests of the state government.

Now, with the setting up of another unit of RAF, the situations can be handled by the state government, in case of any law and order emergency, up to a certain extent.

Besides recruiting 3,000 youths for RAF, the state government has also decided to recruit 5,300 constables and 800 sub-inspectors. It may be mentioned that there will be 10 percent reservation for women in the recruitment of constables.

In the past six years since the change of guard in the state, many new police stations have been set up by reducing area of jurisdiction of a police station, to ensure better policing. Now, besides setting up the police station, the state government has taken steps to further increase the manpower as well.

Moreover, the state government has decided to recruit 3,673 people in different posts, in departments including Higher Education department, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, E-governance and Tribal Development department.

There will also be recruitment in 175 posts of state-run polytechnic and engineering colleges and 137 will be recruited in other different categories.

Moreover, a section of employees with the Tribal Development department will now be getting Rs 3,500 instead of Rs 1,000, while those who used to get Rs 2,000 will get Rs 5,000 now.