Modi sarkar, Indian Police needs money for reforms, not yoga

The BJP government's obsession with yoga does not seem to end. Though yoga is definitely a healthy practise for the body, no doubts about that, but using it as a one-stop-solution for every issue is annoying.

Also read - When the police acts above the law

In its latest adventurism, the AYUSH ministry has sent a letter to all police departments to train the cops in yoga. The letter said "PM, while reviewing the activities and achievement of AYUSH, has expressed his desire that yoga sessions be made mandatory in police stations to enhance the social health and management of working stress and skill development of our police personnel. Keeping this in overview, a scheme, entitled - yoga training for police personnel has been devised," according to a report by India Today.

The Centre has allocated Rs 7 lakh annually for each district (Rs 45 crore for 640 districts) to conduct regular yoga classes.

Though yoga will make probably make police personnel more fit (if implemented properly, that is), but will it have an effect on the overall functioning of the police departments and make it more effective in catching criminals and helping victims get justice?

Also read - Corruption in the police and how I deal with it

Though police expenditure is mainly managed by the states, but given the wretched situation of police departments in India, the Centre should provide more support and funding especially after the National Scheme for Modernisation of Police was delinked from central support and has become nearly defunct. Furthermore, there should be a national-level reform programme or an initiative similar to many of the missions - Swachh Bharat, Digital India, Make in India, etc - to transform the police system and attempt to bring it on par with law and order systems of other similar economies.

Therefore, the question arises that should implementing yoga classes be a priority, when the police system in India is in shambles? It is highly unlikely that police officers, who are one of the most underpaid but overworked government servants, would see yoga as a solution to their issues.

Also read - Why India is not being able to police itself better

Let us have a look at four major statistics, which substantiate the need for higher spending and reforms across police departments in India:

1. 26 per cent vacancies in police posts: The sanctioned strength of total state police force in India is 2.26 million, but the actual strength is 1.72 million - 24 per cent of sanctioned posts are lying vacant as of January 1, 2015 (most recent data), according to the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BRPD). The maximum vacancies are in Uttar Pradesh, where the actual strength is 0.16 million, whereas the sanctioned strength is 0.36 million - a shortfall of 55 per cent. Furthermore, sanctioned population per policeman ratio is 720 but the actual ratio is 540.

Table 1: States with maximum police vacancies

2. Low spending on police: Only 0.74 per cent of the combined state budgets are spent on police, whereas only 1.46 per cent of the police budget is spent on training, which indicates the low expenditure on police departments - critical for public safety and maintenance of law and order. Delhi spends the highest on its police - 10.05 per cent of the state budget, but it is funded by the ministry of home affairs, as it is a half-state.

Table 2: States with highest expenditure on police force

3. Lack of police vehicles: The data by BRP&D reveals that there was a requirement of 2,35,339 vehicles in India, of which only 1,63,346 were available - a shortage of 30 per cent. The highest shortage was in the heavy vehicles category with 68 per cent deficiency.

Table 3: Shortage of police vehicles

4. Utilisation of funds for modernisation: Of Rs 6,216 crore (all India figure) allocated by the central and state governments for modernisation of police in the financial year 2014-15, only Rs 3,566 crore (57 per cent) was spent. Furthermore, in the 2015 Budget, the National Scheme for Modernisation of Police, a centrally-funded scheme, was delinked from the Centre's financial support with a bid to ease the fiscal deficit. The move was widely criticised. A report by the Indian Express mentioned that director-generals of police from several states have warned home minister Rajnath Singh that the government's decision to slash central funding for state police forces could hit their combat capability in insurgency and terrorism-hit states.

Also read - Why Indian police needs to be set free from politicians

Increasing central funding for modernisation of police forces in India is imperative to tackle the challenge of fighting criminals in this digital age. The police force needs to be equipped with more CCTVs, smartphones, real-time data analyses, advanced technological devices, etc to counter growing crimes. More money needs to be invested in the training of police officers, especially at the lower levels.

More often than not, we hear instances of police stations refusing to file FIRs even in case of heinous crimes such as rape, sexual assault, among others - until, a higher level official is approached - which deters people from filing complaints and good Samaritans to help victims. Additionally, many police personnel aren't aware of basic laws and constitutional provisions, which lead to arbitrary action and often, denial of justice to victims.