At Rs 31/day, Odisha volunteers lowest paid

BHUBANESWAR: Civil defence volunteers in Odisha get only Rs 31 per day remuneration, the lowest in the country. As a result, several of them have deserted their units. Amid India-Pakistan tensions and Centre's directive to states to strengthen civil defence readiness , this could pose a serious concern.

Data from the state civil defence unit reveals varying per-day allowances across states - Rs 732 in Delhi, Rs 590 in Rajasthan, Rs 565 in West Bengal, Rs 532 in Haryana, Rs 400 in Bihar, Rs 300 in Karnataka, Rs 250 in Jharkhand and Rs 200 in Maharashtra. Due to low pay, their number in Odisha has drastically reduced - from 21,000 a decade ago to merely 753 currently, sources said. "Many enrolled volunteers deserted their unit for alternate livelihood because of low allowance. Some of us have been working hard (not for money) only to keep the organisation alive," said a volunteer.