Bill to amend SPG Act introduced in LS

November 25, 2019 16:43

Family members of a former prime minister who don't reside with him at his official residence will not be guarded by SPG commandos anymore and those who reside with him at his allotted accommodation will get security cover of the elite force only for five years.

As per the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, proximate security will be given by the force only to the prime minister and members of his immediate family if they live with him at his official residence.

This comes days after the government withdrew the SPG security cover provided to members of the Gandhi family -- Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul and Priyanka. While introducing the SPG (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said in the existing act there is no cut off period for providing SPG protection to former prime ministers or members of their immediate families.

Thus, the number of individuals to be provided SPG cover can potentially become quite large. In such a scenario, there can be severe constraint on resources, training and related infrastructure of the SPG. This can also impact the effectiveness of the elite force in providing adequate cover to the principle protectee -- the prime minister in office, the bill says.

The proposed legislation says that therefore, it is considered essential to amend the act to focus on the core mandate, as the security of the prime minister, as head of the government, is of paramount importance for the government, governance and national security.

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