CRPF moves to bring back Lance Naik and Naik ranks nearly three decades after their 1997 abolition

Key facts

• The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) plans to reintroduce the ranks of Lance Naik and Naik, which were abolished in 1997 through a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order but remain operational in the Army.
• The CRPF has asked its lower formations to gather stakeholder views through special sainik sammelans, with consolidated suggestions to be forwarded to headquarters by October 18.
• Under the proposed hierarchy, a constable would be promoted to Lance Naik in five years, Naik in 10 years, and Head Constable in 20 years.
• Currently, the about 3.25 lakh personnel-strong CRPF faces acute promotion stagnation, with a constable getting the first promotion in 22-25 years on average.
• The move also aims to make CRPF service attractive for Agniveers from the Army, whose first batch under the Agnipath scheme retires this year and becomes eligible to join the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
• At present, CAPFs use an ad hoc arrangement granting a non-sanctioned senior constable rank insignia equivalent to Lance Naik, with no arrangement for the Naik rank.