Over 30,000 SPOs to get significant pay hike
Order expected to be issued shortly
Jammu, Oct 9: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is expected to give significant increase in salary of Special Police Officers (SPOs), numbering around 32,000 in Jammu and Kashmir as the proposal has been sent to the Union Ministry of Finance for approval as it involves considerable amount per annum.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the proposal was mooted by the MHA following recommendations from the Union Territory administration and Jammu and Kashmir Police that the SPOs have been rendering excellent services in anti-terror operations and other forms of policing but are not being paid at par with their work.
“The Union Home Ministry has agreed with the proposal and assured significant hike in the monthly salary of SPOs besides giving some allowance like hardships etc to them. Some other facilities have also been proposed,” official sources told the Excelsior.
The MHA has sent the proposal to the Union Finance Ministry and their clearance is also expected soon, they said, adding the orders are expected to be issued shortly.
Presently, the SPOs have been getting salary ranging from Rs 6,000 per month to Rs 18,000 per month depending upon their years of duties but their services have been acknowledged by the Department as many of them have performed well in anti-terror operations and other modes of important police duties.
“Many of them have sacrificed their lives or sustained injuries during the operations,” the sources said.
As per the estimates, around 32,000 SPOs are serving in Jammu and Kashmir Police including far-off, hilly and terror-prone areas.
Besides hike in monthly salary, the MHA also plans to extend some allowance to them which will boost their perks, the sources said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory administration and Jammu and Kashmir Police had been pursuing the salary hike package of the SPOs with the MHA for past some time. After getting all details from the UT administration, the MHA has finalized the proposal, the sources said.
This time, as per the sources, the hike in monthly salary of the SPOs, will be significant and added by the allowances, the total amount will be quite respectable. The hike will not be the meager, they pointed out.
Already, the UT administration and Police Department have taken many steps for welfare of SPOs like providing them reservation in regular police jobs and extending them many other benefits which the police personnel have been getting.
Despite this, their salary was the cause of concern which is now being addressed, the sources said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also scheduled to visit Jammu for inauguration of high-security Mahanpur jail in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district in next few days. An announcement in the hike of salary of the SPOs can either be made by Shah during his visit to Jammu or from New Delhi when the proposal is finalized.
It may be mentioned here that a couple of years back, the Central Government had assumed full financial responsibility for the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP), integrating its expenditures completely into the grants of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
The Jammu and Kashmir Police – which is now directly controlled by the Home Ministry–was allocated Rs 9,925.50 crore for the current financial year of 2026-27. The allocation is up from Rs 9,097 crore in the revised estimate of 2025-26.–(DE)
