In a major morale booster, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is scheduled to award the presidential colours to the Jammu and Kashmir Police during his first visit to the state next month.
Besides the central paramilitary forces, the 60,000-strong J&K Police will be one of the few state police forces to receive this honour. The department, which is at the forefront of the counter-insurgency operations in the state, has lost 670 personnel in the fight against militancy.
Kalam is likely to visit the state in the second half of February. ‘‘The presidential colours for the J&K Police have been approved but the dates for the President’s visit are yet to be fixed,’’ said A.K. Suri, DGP. ‘‘The President will hand over the flag to the state force. This is a big honour for us. This special identification flag will be displayed at every unit and in all the district police headquarters,’’ he added.