166 criminals gunned down in 5 years, boasts Yogi at police day parade

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said 166 criminals were killed and 4,453 injured in encounters with the Uttar Pradesh police in the past five years, highlighting his government's zero-tolerance policy on crime.

Thirteen police personnel were also killed and over a thousand suffered injuries between 2017 and 2022, he said during his address at the Police Memorial Day Parade at Reserve Police Lines in Lucknow.

"I assure the families of the martyred policemen that the government has always been taking all necessary steps with full sensitivity for their welfare and fulfilment of all their needs and will continue to do so," Adityanath said.

Adityanath also announced a monthly motorcycle allowance of Rs 500 for police personnel. Earlier, the government paid Rs 200 as cycle allowance. The allowance is given to all non-gazetted police personnel.

"The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to increase the cycle allowance of Rs 200 given to policemen to Rs 500 (per month) as motorcycle allowance," Adityanath said during his address.

In a press statement, the government said head constables and constables of the police and the Provincial Armed Constabulary would be paid an additional Rs 2,000 annually as phone allowance.

The government will also link the police personnel with an e-pension portal, Adityanath said.

The chief minister added that the director general of police (DGP) would now clear medical bills of up to Rs 5 lakh, earlier approved at the government level.

Paying tribute to the personnel who laid down their lives on the line of duty, Adityanath said this was an occasion to express gratitude towards the soldiers of the Army, paramilitary and the police, who work with dedication to maintain the country's security.

"The supreme sacrifice of our brave policemen inspire us to move forward on the path of duty with full devotion, dedication and a sense of responsibility," the chief minister said.

Adityanath also appreciated the efforts of the state police for peacefully conducting the Kumbh Mela and the Lok Sabha elections (both in 2019), the assembly polls (2022) and the panchayat elections before that. He added that the police's hard work during Covid-19 set a new example of service to humanity.

Working with better strategy and coordination, the state police successfully conducted all the festivals, fairs, processions, rallies and demonstrations in the face of various challenges, he said.

Enumerating the achievements since he took charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state in 2017, the chief minister said 150,231 candidates, including 22,000 women, were recruited to the Uttar Pradesh police. The recruitment process is going on for 45,689 posts, he added.

The government has taken several historic steps to boost the morale of the force, he said, adding that the police budget had been doubled since the formation of his government.

The police budget in 2017-18 was around Rs 16,115 crore, which increased to about Rs 30,203 crore in 2021-22, the chief minister said. He added that 244 new police stations and 133 new outposts had also been established.