Officers to get Rs Rs 20 lakh, informers Rs 2 lakh for info on drug trafficking

In order to crackdown on drug trafficking across the country and motivate police personnel, informers, and common citizens to report such instances, the Central government has issued new guidelines on Tuesday announcing rewards for those whose information would lead to seizures of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The government, however, has also clearly stated that any work done by an individual officer in his normal course of duties is not eligible for the reward.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has come up with 'guidelines for grant of rewards to be paid to the officers, informers, and other persons, 2017'. It will also regulate the grant and payment of reward to informers and government officers.

As per this policy, an officer is eligible for Rs 20 lakh reward during his entire career and Rs 50,000 at a time. However a maximum reward of Rs 2 lakh may also be given to an individual in exceptional cases by the Apex Central Rewards Committee.

"Up to 50 per cent of the total admissible reward amount can be given at pre-trial stage if the test report from chemical lab turns positive," the ministry said.

Further the reward sanctioning authority should also consider several factors — like accuracy of the information, degree of risk involved, extent and nature of the help rendered by the informer, and whether the information also gave clues of the person involved in the drug trafficking racket — while granting reward to informers.

Narcotics Control Bureau has been made the coordinating agency to process the reward proposal of other central and state agencies working in the field of drug interdiction.

As per the new policy, reward should not be granted as a matter of routine and provision for special efforts made by the government officials in developing the information, effecting the seizure and post seizure investigation should also be taken into consideration.

The reward scheme will be made applicable to informers whose information leads to seizures of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, controlled substances, forfeiture of illegally acquired property under NDPS Act and contravention of rules made there under, which is booked by any central and state agencies.

It is also applicable to the officers of central, state and union territories who make seizures, successful investigation and prosecution and conduct post investigation work in respect of contravention of provisions of NDPS Act.

The new reward guideline has not only included new drugs and psychotropic substances in the revised reward policy but also increased the rate of reward of the seized drug. The highest reward has been kept for cocaine and its salts which is Rs 2.4 lakh per kilogramme but it should be 90 percent or more of anhydrous cocaine and thereafter heroin and its salts which is Rs 1.20 lakh per kilogramme but it should 90 percent or more of diacetyl morphine. In Ganja, the reward is Rs 600 per kilogramme and it should be commercially acceptable as ganja. Even Mandrax tablets attract Rs 2000 per kilogramme. The destruction of illicit cannabis and opium poppy crop attracts Rs 10,000 per hectare and destruction of poppy straw calls for Rs 240 which is 20 percent of the present street price.

In case of controlled and psychotropic substances, the maximum reward is 25,000 per Kg for seizure of Buprenorphine or Tidigesic and its preparations but it should be 100 percent pure. Interestingly, diazepam and its preparations can get reward Rs. 0.53 per tablet of 5mg, alprazolam and its preparations can get reward Rs 0.20 per tablet of 5 mg, lorezepam and its preparations Rs 0.296 per tablet of 5 mg and alprax and its preparations can get Rs 0.52 per tablet of 5 mg.

The ministry has put up a clause wherein the rewards shall be reduced pro-rate if the purity is less than the prescribed level.