Costly security blanket
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 22 2012 -

It may be nothing for other richer States, but for a perpetually cash-crunched and resource-starved State like Manipur, Rs 15 crore is a big amount, which unfortunately is being wasted annually on the security covers of former Ministers, Ministers and bureaucrats.

Responding to a query raised by Opposition MLA L Ibomcha during the Question Hour session of the State Assembly on December 20, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, who also holds the portfolio of Home, informed the House that the State Government spends around Rs 14,93,88,588 on a yearly basis in providing security guards, home guards and PSOs to ex-Ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats and other retired civil officers.

While the MLA wanted the Government to check and reduce the huge amount being wanted annually, the Home Minister made a 'great effort' in trying to explain the scale of security provided on the basis of the recommendations by the state level security review committee comprising of IGP (Intelligence); Joint Director, SIB (Imphal); Special Secretary (Home) and Superintendent of Police (CID) and how the committee reviews the scale of security being provided to the 'protected persons' after every six months as per the guidelines of Union Home Ministry.

Although the Minister claims that if the need for continued security cover arises after the review then the security is provided otherwise it is withdrawn, the fact that the State Exchequer is poorer by nearly Rs 15 crore year after year, shows that the number of 'protected persons' has remained more or less constant.

Even though we could say nothing on the veracity of the charge leveled by the MLA against the Government over alleged indulgence in wasteful expenditure in providing security to ex-Ministers and MLAs, which, he claimed, are being used actually as a means to drive away people who come to get back the money taken from them by the ex-Ministers and MLAs, at least one thing is crystal clear to us.

That is, coming under the security cover is increasingly being viewed as a status symbol by most politicians and bureaucrats, both active as well as dormant, and they use their political clout to secure security cover at any cost.

In fact, the immediate reaction of most politicians and bureaucrats over any fancied threat to their personal safety is to clamour for increased security at the expense of taxpayer's money.

Even if the threat, which is normally related to extortion notes, is real, it is short-lived and confined to their service period only.

Once they are out of service, they are as good as the proverbial Kangkha Thang, useless for anyone with an eye on extorting money from Government Departments or projects.

Of course, if they have walked on the wild side of the road, during or after their service period, then threat perception whether real and imaginary, would remain dogging till their last journey to the graves. Then, it becomes a different story.

Anyway, any politician or Government officer who is worth his/her salt, can learn a lesson or two from Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who, soon after being sworn in to the hot seat in first week of March this year, not only turned down the Z-plus security cover recommended for him but also decided to scale down the costly security blanket of all other Ministers contending they should not afraid of the people who have elected them.