New Delhi (PTI): The Home Ministry continues to sit on the proposal on much awaited Special Anti-naxal Force (SAF), on similar pattern of 'Greyhounds' of Andhra Pradesh Police, to counter Left-extremism which is being seen as a "virus" engulfing nearly 13 states of the country.

The CRPF, which is designated as the central force for countering anti-insurgency, had immediately started work for creation of such a force after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked for the same in December and also submitted a proposal few months ago to the Union Home Ministry.

However, despite getting an in-principle clearance of setting up of ten battalions (nearly 10,000 personnel) to be led by an Inspector General, the Union Home Ministry has not sent the proposal to the Union Cabinet for approval, sources in the Ministry said.

The blueprint for the new force is already in place and the concerned authorities are just awaiting for the final clearance from the Union Cabinet to put the much needed force in action.

In its proposal, the CRPF has submitted that 10 fresh battalions should be sanctioned and, in the meantime, it would deploy an equal number of personnel to begin operations from the day it was sanctioned.

A senior officer K Durga Prasad, 1981 batch IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh, was posted by the CRPF to take charge of the new SAF force for his knowledge and expertise in handling the anti-left wing operations.