Funds shortage has hit hard 94,261 officers and jawans of Sashastra Seema Bal, who guard the frontiers along Nepal and Bhutan borders. The SSB has decided to stop the payment of arrears and allowances for the months of January and February due to “paucity of funds.” The SSB is barely able to pay the salaries minus the allowances and arrears.

Earlier, the CRPF had stopped ration allowance due to non-sanction of `800 crore sought by the force. However, the ration money allowance was said to be resumed subsequent to media reports about stoppage of the same. Allowances like Children Education Allowance, Leave Travel Concession (LTC), leave encashment and Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) will not be paid to the SSB personnel and they will be entitled only to the salary for January and February.

“It is informed that available funds under code head 1 salary is hardly sufficient to clear the regular salary bills for the month of January and February, 2020. Therefore, due to paucity of funds, it is requested that available funds under code head 1 salary be earmarked for regular salary bills for 2 months i.e. January and February-2020 only and no other arrears of pay & allowances, ACP/MACP and CEA/LTC/Leave Encashment claims should be preferred,” reads the communication issued by the SSB headquarters here on January 23 and sent to all the formations of the force across the country.

The letter further said, “It is requested not to entertain RPT (repeat) not to entertain any other claims except regular bills of January 7 February-2020. This issues with the approval of IG (Administration), FHQ (Force Headquarters), New Delhi.”

Without denying the move, a peeved SSB Director General Kumar Rajesh Chandra said, “Write whatever you wish to, I don’t care.”

Earlier, Chandra did not respond to a text message seeking the reasons for the paucity of funds leading to the stoppage of the allowances and arrears of the force’s personnel and a timeline for restoration of the dues under allowances and arrears of pay.

The copy of the letter has been sent to SSB formations in Lucknow, Patna, Guwahati, Tezpur, Ranikhet, Siliguri, Srinagar, Bhilai, Jammu and academies and training centres in Bhopal, Alwar and Gwaldam among others.

Confirming the development, officials said additional funds have been sought from the Union Home Ministry to meet the shortfall and the allowances will be restored once the grants are received from the Government.

They said this is the first time they are facing such an exigency on the financial front and is bound to be demoralising for the ranks.