Home Guards To Help Police In Poll Duty
Jegan M. Seshadri (second left), DGP, Home Guards and Civil Defence, at a meeting in Coimbatore on Tuesday. More than 10,000 Home Guards will supplement the civil administration and the police in the conduct of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, said Jagan M Seshadri, Director General of Police, Home Guards and Civil Defence.
Talking to reporters after reviewing the preparedness of the Home Guards for the Lok Sabha elections Mr. Seshadri said that except investigations the home guards performed all other roles played by the police personnel. Assistant Commandant General of Home Guards A. Sivakumar also attended the meeting. The Home Guards was started in 1961 during the war with China to help the civil administration and the police in maintaining law and order. It is a voluntary service for which the government gives an incentive. In Tamil Nadu, there were 37 units of Home Guards with a sanctioned strength of 11,605 including 2,737 women.
The process of filling up the 2,000 vacancies with Home Guards was in final stages. Mr. Seshadri pointed out that the fixed incentive for a day was increased to Rs. 45 a day only recently. He also pointed out that the Third Police Commission had recommended an increase in all allowances for Home Guards and the Government had accepted the recommendation in principle.
