Salary hike for 32,000 J&K SPOs likely, Finance Minister’s nod awaited

Srinagar : A proposal to hike the salaries of nearly 32,000 Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Jammu and Kashmir has cleared a key hurdle, with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approving it and forwarding it to the Finance Ministry, officials familiar with the matter said.

The final approval of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is now awaited. Her nod will be decisive in notifying the revised pay and allowances for the SPOs, the officials said.

The proposal, pursued by the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the Police Department, seeks to enhance the monthly remuneration of SPOs deployed in counter-terrorism operations, security assignments and law-and-order maintenance across the Union Territory. A revision in monthly remuneration, along with possible hardship-related allowances, is under consideration.

At present, SPOs receive monthly remuneration ranging from ₹6,000 to ₹18,000, depending on their length of service. The proposed enhancement is aimed at providing financial relief to personnel posted in remote, mountainous and security-sensitive areas, where difficult working conditions add to the demands of their service.

Officials said the proposal cannot move to the notification stage until the Finance Ministry grants its approval. Until the Finance Ministry clears the financial implications and a formal order is issued, the revised remuneration, new pay slabs and additional allowances will remain unspecified.

The proposed remuneration enhancement is now being closely watched by SPOs and their families, who are awaiting a final decision on improved monthly earnings and additional allowances. (KNS)