In Lok Sabha, Amit Shah enlightens details on SPG act

New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking in Lok Sabha, accused the past government for diluting the SPG act, and said that it will be amended allowing the Prime Minister and his family to be given such security cover who live with him at his official residence.

In the new amendments, the SPG security will also be provided to the former Prime Minister and his family members for duration of five years from the end of his term.

Currently, former Prime Ministers and their family members are provided security based on a “security assessment” and there is no cut-off period for SPG security. The SPG Act , 1998 limited providing security cover to former Prime Ministers to one year after they demitted office.

He claimed that the previous government had changed it to dilute it; he was referring to SPG cover that was provided to the Gandhi family – Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

SPG cover to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was withdrawn after an assessment downgraded the threat faced by him. However, the former Prime Minister now has Z-plus security cover provided by the CRPF. Similarly, the SPG cover of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi was also withdrawn. They have all been provided Z-plus security cover by CRPF.

SPG was created to safeguard the Prime Minister; Amit Shah said a similar security is provided to the premiers of different countries.