Home GuardsGovt to increase Home Guards to 40,000

UDUPI: The Home Guards, a force to be reckoned with in the state, play a vital role in maintaining law and order, especially during emergencies and exigencies by helping the police, home minister V S Acharya said in Malpe, near Udupi, on Sunday.

He was delivering the inaugural address, after formally inaugurating the Malpe unit of the Home Guards. The government has decided to increase the strength of Home Guards to 40,000 from the present 25,000 by 2011-12. The DA of Rs 100 to Home Guards volunteers has been increased to Rs 150 in all other places and in Bangalore, the increase of DA is from the present Rs 150 to Rs 175.

While lauding the Home Guards' activities in general, Acharya said the service rendered by 250 Home Guards constabulary in recent times, while forming the Mangalore police commissionerate, was commendable. Acharya said the parameters of a civilized society is how its law and order was maintained. Acharya, talking about the police force in the state, said the country has observed a silent revolution through the police force, which has resulted in low crime rate. Stolen property worth Rs 51 crore was given back to its owners. Acharya said the government has decided to recruit 400 more sub-inspectors and 6,000 police constables in two phases of 3,000 each.

Acharya and Udupi district sessions judge Narendrakuamr Gunike inaugurated the legal awareness programme for the Home Guards. Udupi Bar Association president C Vijaya Hegde, Ganapathi Bhat, district commander, and K C Rajesh, deputy commandant, Home Guards, also spoke.

Report: TOI/ Photo of Home Guards on Mock disaster drill: Daijiworld