**Summary:**
This document addresses Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3807, concerning the reimbursement of the central government's share of expenses for Special Police Officers (SPOs) under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme to the state of Telangana. The question was posed on August 12, 2025, by Shri Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy.
The response provided by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai, clarifies the following points:
* Reimbursements under the SRE Scheme, including those for SPOs, are processed based on verification of records by the Internal Audit Wing (IAW) of the Ministry of Home Affairs and approval by the SRE Standing Committee, in accordance with scheme guidelines.
* All eligible reimbursements to Telangana under the SRE Scheme have been made for the period between 2019-20 and 2023-24. No amounts are currently pending for this period.
* The SRE Scheme guidelines previously mandated that SPOs engaged in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas be ex-Army/ex-Police personnel. This requirement has been relaxed from the financial year 2024-25 onward. The number of SPOs is determined based on the current LWE situation in the state.
* Given that there are no pending reimbursements, the question regarding the timeline for releasing pending funds "does not arise".
Key Entities Referenced
Security Related Expenditure SRE Scheme: A scheme under which the central government provides financial assistance to states for security-related expenditure. It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Special Police Officers SPOs: Individuals engaged by state governments to assist in law enforcement, particularly in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
Telangana State: A state in India that received reimbursements under the SRE scheme.
Ministry of Home Affairs: The Indian government ministry responsible for internal security and law and order.
SHRI CHAMALA KIRAN KUMAR REDDY: A member of Lok Sabha who raised a question about the reimbursement of funds to Telangana under the SRE scheme.
SHRI NITYANAND RAI: Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs who provided the answer to the Lok Sabha question.
LWE affected areas: Areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, where SPOs are engaged.
Internal Audit Wing IAW: The audit wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs responsible for verifying records of claims made by states under the SRE Scheme.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3807
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12TH AUGUST, 2025/ SRAVANA 21, 1947 (SAKA)
REIMBURSEMENT OF SHARE OF SPOS
3807. SHRI CHAMALA KIRAN KUMAR REDDY:
Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the status of reimbursement of Centre's share (60%) for Special Police
Officers (SPOs) under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme to
Telangana State which has been pending for four years;
(b) the total amount pending to be reimbursed to Telangana under this
scheme during the last three years 2019-20 to 2023-24;
(c) whether the Government is considering relaxing the norms for engaging
the services of 1,065 SPOs who are non-ex-Army/Policemen in LWE affected
areas of Telangana; and
(d) the time by which these pending reimbursements will be released to the
State?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
(SHRI NITYANAND RAI)
(a) to (c):
• Reimbursement under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme
is of recurring nature and the releases are made on the basis of verification
of records of the claims made by States by the Internal Audit Wing (IAW) of
the Ministry of Home Affairs and approval of the SRE Standing Committee
as per applicable scheme guidelines.-2-
L.S.US.Q.NO. 3807 FOR 12.08.2025
• As regards to the reimbursement of Centre’s Share under the SRE
Scheme including the item ‘Special Police Officers (SPOs)’, the
reimbursement has been made to Telangana as per the applicable Scheme
guidelines during a particular period.
• Further, no amount is pending for reimbursement under SRE scheme
in respect of Telangana for the period between 2019-20 to 2023-24.
• As per SRE Scheme guidelines the SPOs, so engaged in LWE affected
areas were to be mandatorily ex-Army/Policemen and the claims were
processed accordingly. These guidelines have been reviewed in 2024-25 and
the mandatory condition of “Ex-Servicemen / Ex-Policemen” for Special
Police Officers (SPOs) has been relaxed from financial year 2024-25. The
number of SPOs is decided on the basis of current LWE scenario in the State.
(d) Does not arise.
******