Extension on cards for prisons' correctional service awardees like their Haryana Police counterparts

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 9

Awardees of the Correctional Service Medals in the Prisons Department could soon get incentives like their counterparts in the Haryana Police, who are awarded for meritorious service.

Sources said the Prisons Department had framed a proposal on the lines of the incentives of the extension of service given to the non-gazetted police personnel, who had been awarded the Police Medals. The proposal has been sent to the Home Department for approval.

According to the draft policy, the department has recommended that non-gazetted prison officials, who have been awarded the President’s Correctional Service Medal for Gallantry and the President’s Correctional Service Medal for Distinguished Service be granted two-year extension in service.

The policy mentions that the recipients of the Correctional Service Medal for Gallantry and the Correctional Service Medal for Meritorious Service be granted one-year extension. This will be subject to the physical fitness to discharge prison duties and a satisfactory service record.

For the gazetted non-IPS officers who are recipients of the Correctional Service Medal, the policy has recommended a one-year extension in “exceptional cases” and would be the sole prerogative of the state government.

Sources in the Prisons Department said the Centre confers four kinds if medals for prison officers and officials for good work as a token of appreciation.

The proposal states that these personnel expect that state government to also recognise their performance. This expectation is further fuelled by the fact that the Police Department already has such a provision whereby the awardees are recognised for their exemplary services. This policy has been in place since 2010 and it would be only in the fitness of things to grant them extension in service since there are no financial benefits accruing to the recipients for any of the awards.

Sources said the proposal could shortly come through since the government seems to be open to the idea.