Friday, March 12, 2010

Home guards to the fore

Unlike the police force, they will be armed with latest weapons

Bihar is to deploy women home guards in rural areas. On the lines of police force in the state, the home guards will also be armed to the teeth with modern weapons like Insas rifles too. The special battalion is getting top-notch training at its Bihta centre.

The Nitish Kumar government is raising a special battalion on the lines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). It will assist the state machinery in disaster management, protect weaker sections and maintain law and order during communal riots. Also, it will fight Maoists. Some 225 home guards have already been selected in the first phase. Its total strength will be over 825 troopers. The special battalion would be ready for duty by March or April next year.

“The process is already underway for setting up the special battalion in the state,” director general-cum-commandant general of Bihar Home Guards and Fire Services Neelmani told TSI over phone from Patna. “This is not the cosmetic change of Bihar Home Guards (BHG). Their whole image is being changed. They will be better equipped and trained.” The rate of allowances to home guard volunteers have also been increased from Rs. 125 to Rs. 200 per day. West Bengal provides Rs. 250 to home guard volunteers per day.

The home guards organisation was originally raised on 6 December 1946 in accordance with the Home Guards Acts and Rules of States / Union Territories, under the Ministry of Home Affairs in Bombay and was reorganised in 1962 after the Sino-Indian war. Earlier, it existed in smaller units individually in some places.

There are around 410,000 people serving in home guards in 25 states and the union territories against the total 5,73,793 sanctioned strength. It doesn’t exist in Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala as its duties are performed by other organisations. In Bihar, the home guard was established on 11 December 1947. Bihar has ordered to recruit around 11,OOO new personnels in BHG as the sanctioned strength of BHG is 54,612. The whole exercise for a complete makeover of the BHG has been taken after 17 years. According to Neelmani, a proposal was submitted to increase the number of home guards from 54,612 to 84,975. Security experts say that this will help Bihar fight Maoist menace.
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Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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