A proposal to honour Home Guards

• 11 Aug 2023

Why in News?

On August 8, 2023, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij while presiding over a review meeting with the top officials of the Home Guard and Civil Defence Department (Home Guard) in Chandigarh informed that a proposal would soon be sent to the state government to award medals for outstanding services to Home Guard volunteers.

Key Points:

• Apart from this, the Home Minister directed the officers that all the Home Guards of the state should get their duty allowance by the 7th of every month.
• In the meeting, he informed that a proposal will be prepared and sent to the government to give risk allowance to home guards on the lines of police personnel for policing duty.
• Also, a proposal for use of postal ballot by volunteers will be sent to the Election Commission.
• The Home Minister was apprised in the meeting that there is a strength of 14,000 Home Guards in the state and at present there are 12,000 Home Guards working in the state, out of which 9050 Home Guard volunteers are discharging the duties of law and order, traffic and driver etc. in the police department.
• The Home Minister directed the officials to make a provision to give EPF etc. to home guards.
• Officials informed in the meeting that the accidental death claim has been increased from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 50 lakh by HDFC Bank for home guard volunteers.
• Apart from this, a provision has also been made to give Rs 3.25 lakh by the bank to the dependents of the volunteers in case of natural death.
• In the meeting, the officials apprised that at present, various trainings (traffic, flood disaster, first aid etc.) are being given to Haryana Home Guard volunteers from time to time at the Joint Training Institute located in Panchkula.
• Apart from this, home guards will soon be trained at the training center to be set up in Karnal.
• At present, identity cards of home guard volunteers of 14 districts have been made and identity cards of the remaining districts are under process.