Bihar to turn Home Guards into multi-skilled force

Bihar is planning to turn its 53,000-strong Home Guard organisation into an effective force capable of rendering help in crisis situations across the country.
From playing the role of a perfect auxiliary to the police force not too long ago, the Home Guards of late have turned into mere stick-and-rifle bearing men who work on meagre daily
wages of Rs 300.
The force evolved from the Mughal and British Chaukidari system and was later raised as a separate force in the erstwhile Bombay state in 1946. It was reorganised across the country after the 1962 Sino-Indian war.
Now the state government intends to transform these men into a rough and tough force capable of being deployed not only in the state, but also in metros across the country to provide services to the needy.

Bihar Home Guards Director General (DG) Abhayanand told PTI that a detailed proposal for this purpose had been prepared and that the training of the personnel would begin as soon as it was cleared by the state government.

"Our intention is to expand the capability, skill, acceptability and relevance of this force spread across the length and breadth of the state. It should be something to which people and officials will look up to for help," he said.
Abhayanand said the government wanted to make the force ready for being used in crisis situations like floods, droughts, epidemics and fires.

The Home Guards DG said the trained personnel with multifarious skills would also be able to get private jobs easily with industrialists, businessmen as well as senior corporate and government officials.
"Such trained personnel are easily paid Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month for their services. They can be very useful during medical emergencies. Big private security agencies have already started grabbing such opportunities," said Abhayanand.
"The best thing is that we will provide certificates to them about their level of skills, training, character and verified whereabouts. They will emerge as very dependable people for the private sector organisations and individuals," he said.

Bihar Home Guards have extensive training facilities in almost all districts of the state, the Home Guard DG said.
"Once the training is over, the men and women will be fit to be recruited in the constabulary across the country as the physical and training standards are more or less the same everywhere," said Abhayanand.