The CISF has unveiled a comprehensive suite of welfare programs designed to support its personnel and their families. The new initiatives include access to low-interest loans with extended repayment terms, increased scholarship opportunities for dependents, enhanced support for medical treatments, improved benefits for retirees, and provisions for unit-level programs. These programs aim to benefit 1.6 lakh CISF members. The online welfare portal will be launched on September 1st, with over 100 crores allocated towards loans, scholarships, and other welfare provisions.
The key features of the new initiatives include raising the loan limit for personal needs to Rs 5 lakhs, reducing interest rates to 3%, extending repayment periods to 5 years, providing reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses, and expanding eligibility for the DG Scholarship to all dependents scoring over 80%. Moreover, scholarships for the children of martyrs have been increased with no limitations on the number of beneficiaries. Retirees will now get Rs 1.25 Lakh from their Risk-Saving payments. The current manual loan system will be replaced by an online portal, facilitating direct application, processing within 15 days, and direct crediting of the loan amount. More than 100 Crores will be provided from the Welfare Fund for these activities.
These measures are intended to provide faster, more transparent service delivery, reduce financial stress, and reach the majority of the personnel. Some of the important changes include lowering interest rates on personal loans to 3% across all categories and 2% for medical treatment loans. The maximum loan amount for home loans, marriages, etc., has increased to Rs 5 lakhs, and the repayment period has been extended. Out-of-pocket expenses on medical bills under schemes like Ayushman CAPF and CGHS will be fully reimbursed through the central welfare fund. Financial aid will also be available during medical leave. The DG Scholarship Scheme has been updated to benefit more CISF dependents. Those scoring more than 80% marks will be eligible for Rs 20,000, and those above 90% will receive Rs 25,000. There will be no cap on the number of beneficiaries. Scholarships for children of martyrs from class 01 to PG have also been increased, with no limit on the number of beneficiaries.