With an aim to maintain transparency in transfers between hard and soft postings within the Central Armed Police Forces, a software-based transfer policy for all the CAPFs’ personnel will be implemented soon.

This software has been designed after the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in January last year. The development of the application was delayed because of Covid-19 induced restrictions in 2020.

According to a senior official in the security forces, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Himalayan border guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are ready with the software, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles are in the advanced stage of development of the applications.

He also said that the transfer policy of each force varies from the others as per their mandates and requirements, therefore all CAPFs were asked to develop their own applications.

The BSF is in the final round of testing its software, while the CRPF and Assam Rifles will be on the testing round very soon, he added.

Once all the software applications are ready, they will give a presentation to the Union Home Ministry for final approval.

The Ministry had earlier decided to review the progress of the development of these applications and a meeting was also scheduled in mid-July this year, but after the delay by some security forces, a fresh date will be decided to review the presentation.

“In the proposed review by the Home Ministry, the officials of the CISF, ITBP, and SSB will be presenting the live demonstration of their software being used in rotational transfer in compliance of Shah’s directives to the effect,” the officials in the Home Ministry said.

The CRPF, BSF, and Assam Rifles will be updating the Ministry about the status of the progress made so far in the implementation of the rotational transfer policy within their ranks.

“A transparent transfer mechanism based on a software application will not only reduce the unnecessary delays in approvals of transfer but will also do away with favouritism”, the officials said.

In general, all personnel of the paramilitary forces will be given multiple options to opt for the next posting as per his or her last posting, nature of job, and other factors, therefore, they will have an idea of where they can be posted for the next tenure”, a source in the Force said.

The move is also expected to lead to a reduction in stress of the personnel deployed in hard postings with inherent travails amid vagaries of nature and dynamic security challenges besides being away from their families, he added.

Timely grant of leave, transfer from hard to soft posting have been a major grievance of the forces’ personnel, especially the middle and lower-rung staffers and now these grievances can be addressed through the software-based applications,” a senior official in a paramilitary said.