Police starts SMS alert system to track claims

In a bid to smoothen the deliverance of welfare benefits to Delhi police personnel, a first-of-its-kind SMS alert service system has been started through which the cops can easily track the progress of their claims like PF, HRA, LTC and so on. The system, which extends to all Delhi police districts and units and initiated about six months back, enables, unlike earlier, the personnel to know whether their claims are in the process or not.

Special commissioner of police, health and welfare, S. Vasudeva Rao said: “We currently cover 33 services under the system. Some of them are marriage loans, higher education loans, scholarships, stitching charges, HBF, HRA, GPF withdrawal, increments, leave travel concession, leave encashment, pension, income-tax calculation, recovery from salary among others,” adding, “Under the system, each service has a timeline within which it has to be delivered. For example, if it is leave encashment then the concerned personnel will have to be given the benefit within 10 days and if it is a general provident fund (GPF) withdrawal, it has to be done within seven days. Similar timeframes are there for the other services as well.”

Earlier it was a hassle for policemen to know whether they had been granted the benefit, but the new SMS alert system has made it easier for them as they don’t have to constantly inquire about their entitlements, said a police officer.

Under the system, the police personnel have to file an application for the benefit at the DCP office of respective districts and as they are received, the nodal officers in the administration of the office, sends an SMS to the policemen.

“We have numbers of all the policemen in our district. The personnel who file an application for any benefit mention mobile numbers and we send SMSes regarding the position of their application. For example, if a policeman applies for leave he constantly comes to the office to know if his leave has been granted and gets unnecessarily bothered. With this system, he can smoothly work without worrying,” said another police official.

The Delhi police has taken technical support from National Informatics Centre (NIC) to make this system work efficiently because of the huge number of messages that are required to be sent at one go to different officers applying for different benefits.