IEP Chandigarh, August 8
Haryana Home Minister, Sh. Anil Vij said that a proposal would soon be sent to the state government to honour home guard volunteers with medals in recognition of their outstanding services. Besides, he also directed to ensure that duty allowances are disbursed to all Home Guards by the 7th of each month.Sh Vij was presiding over a review meeting of senior officers of the Home Guards and Civil Defense Department here today.Sh. Vij directed that a proposal should be sent to the State Government to provide risk allowance to Home Guards for policing duties at par with police personnel. He also directed the officers to prepare a proposal for using postal ballots by volunteers and submit it to the Election Commission.The Home Minister highlighted that at present , Haryana has a strength of 14,000 Home Guards, of which 9,050 are actively involved in law enforcement, traffic management, and related duties. He directed officials to provide Employees Provident Fund (EPF) benefits to Home Guards. He said that the accidental death claim for Home Guards has been increased from Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh, with an additional provision of Rs. 3.25 lakh for natural deaths.During the meeting, officers informed the Home Minister about the ongoing training of Haryana Home Guard volunteers. Currently, these volunteers are being given training in various areas like traffic management, flood disaster response, and first aid at the Joint Training Institute in Panchkula. The Minister was also informed that the Home Guards will be given training at the training centre which is going to be set up in Karnal soon.The identity cards have already been issued to home guard volunteers from 14 districts, while work is in progress for the remaining districts. Apart from this, applications would be invited from volunteers interested in serving in Gurugram and Faridabad. Thereafter, these volunteers would be posted in these districts.Director General, Home Guards and Civil Defense Department Sh. Desh Raj Singh, and Additional Director General of Police, Sh. S.K. Jain, along with other officials remained present in the meeting.
