Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday issued a GO to allow police personnel in the state police force to avail themselves of a weekly off.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in the legislative assembly on September 13 said that a weekly off will be given to police personnel working in all cadres to take care of their health and to spend time with their family members.
To implement the scheme, the Tamil Nadu government has issued a government order on Wednesday ahead of Diwali.
In a release, the Tamil Nadu government after explaining about the GO said, "The announcement of the Tamil Nadu CM, keeping the health of police officers in mind, will serve as a great medicine to the police force who continuously strive hard to ensure the safety of the public."
Also Read | Tamil Nadu: Woman Police Officer Dies In Secretariat After Tree Falls On Her Due To Heavy Rains
Even on July 31, 2021, Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu announced weekly off and offs for birthdays and wedding anniversaries for police personnel with immediate effect. A notice from the DGP also said that the police officers should be given overtime duty allowance if they are on duty during their rest day by skipping the weekly off.
In a first, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced weekly-off to police constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors and inspectors as per the new system brought in 2019. The announcement benefitted 67,804 police personnel in the state and the decision was taken based on the recommendation of a committee formed under the leadership of Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Ravi Shankar Ayyanar. The weekly off was also provided to improve the health of the police personnel.