G Kishan Reddy the Minister for Home of state from Telangana today has introduced the SPG Amendment bill in Rajya Sabha.
The Bill says protection by SPG only for PM and his immediate family. No SPG cover for the former PMs. It may be noted that the SPG cover has been removed for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi the family members of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
The earlier Bill says SPG will provide security to “the Prime Minister and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official residence; and any former Prime Minister and such members of his immediate family as are residing with him at the residence allotted to him, for a period of five years from the date he ceases to hold office of Prime Minister.”
In the existing law, the provision concerned limits itself to protection for “immediate family members” and does not speak about where they should reside.
It also guarantees protection for only one year after demitting office, and then the continuation of the SPG cover beyond that period based on threat perception reports given by central intelligence agencies.
