IT News
Imphal, July 13:
The All Manipur V.D.F Employees’ Welfare Association (AMVDFEWA) has strongly condemned the decision made by the State Cabinet yesterday regarding the VDF personnel, demanding a hike in their honorarium.
The association’s press release states that “since 2008, VDF personnel have been recruited by the state government to assist with maintaining law and order. According to Sections 17 and 18 of the Police Act 1861, VDF personnel should be given the powers, privileges, protection, and responsibilities akin to police constables. However, the association claims that these provisions have not been fully implemented.”
The recent State Cabinet decision to make VDF personnel transferable across districts has raised several concerns. If they are treated in the same way as constables, the association is demanding that “the honorarium for VDF personnel be increased from the current Rs. 10,000 to match the salary of police constables.”
“If a VDF member from Bishnupur district is transferred to Ukhrul district, it raises questions about how they would manage on a monthly honorarium of Rs. 10,000, especially considering family maintenance challenges. Say another VDF member from Jiribam is transferred to Imphal East; then he has to travel by helicopter to join the duty post. How is he going to afford all this?” the VDF association stated.
Laishram Debam, President of the All Manipur V.D.F Employees’ Welfare Association, said, “It is not that we do not want to go, but we would not be able to manage with the money we are getting. We will go anywhere if an appropriate salary is given. We have been on duty in the bunkers since the beginning of the violence. Seventy percent of the individuals who go to destroy poppy plantations are VDF. However, with the salary we are getting, we cannot even educate our children properly.”
The association has called on the state government to reconsider this decision. They have set a deadline of July 31 for an emergency cabinet meeting to address these issues. Failure to do so, they warn, will result in significant agitation by the 10,050 VDF personnel across Manipur.
