Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11 (UDN): The Operations Wing of Odisha Police has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Bank of India (SBI) to provide a Corporate Salary Package to personnel serving in the Odisha Special Striking Force (OSSF).
The agreement was signed during a ceremony at the Operations Headquarters in Bhubaneswar. Inspector General of Police (Operations) Dr Deepak Kumar, IPS, signed the MoU on behalf of Odisha Police, while SBI Deputy General Manager Ashish Kumar Mishra represented the bank.
Director General of Police, Anti-Naxal Operations, Sanjeeb Panda, IPS, attended the event as the chief guest.
Under the salary package, OSSF personnel will receive a range of insurance and financial benefits. These include accident insurance coverage of up to Rs 50 lakh, air ambulance reimbursement of up to Rs 10 lakh and a child higher-education cover of up to Rs 10 lakh. The package also provides coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh towards plastic surgery expenses.
Family members of personnel will also be eligible for benefits under SBI’s Rishtey Account facility. Other provisions include personal loan facilities and an optional health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh at an annual premium of Rs 1,999.
Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeeb Panda thanked SBI for extending the corporate salary package to OSSF personnel. He said the additional insurance and financial benefits would provide greater support and motivation to personnel deployed in remote and challenging areas of the state, particularly those engaged in anti-Naxal operations.
The benefits provided under the SBI package will be in addition to welfare measures and entitlements already available to OSSF personnel from the government.
The OSSF currently comprises four battalions with around 4,000 personnel. The force is largely made up of ex-servicemen from the Indian Army and former personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Its personnel are deployed at various locations across Odisha, primarily for anti-Naxal operations.
Lochan Pasayat, Commandant, Special Operations Group (SOG), Ramachandra Pradhan, Commandant in-charge of OSSF, senior OSSF officers and SBI officials were also present at the ceremony.