UP govt increases stipend for Home Guards by around 33 pc

The Uttar Pradesh government has increased the stipend for Home Guards by around 33 per cent, benefiting nearly one lakh volunteers who provide vital back up to the state police in maintaining law and order, managing traffic and relief and rescue operations.
"The stipend paid to Home Guards has been raised from Rs 225 to Rs 300. The new rates will come in force from April 1. This is the largest hike in Home Guards' stipend in the state so far", Additional Director General of Police (Home Guards), Pramod Kumar Tiwari said here.
"At present, we have about 93,000 volunteers offering their service as Home Guards. They have rendered invaluable service in maintaining law. This move of the state government is a token of appreciation for their contribution," he said.

The state government has been "very sensitive" towards the welfare of Home Guards and has taken a number of steps for the well-being of those who offer their services for this second line of defence that came into being after the Indo-China war of 1962, Tiwari said.
Earlier, the insurance for the Home Guards covered only eight hours during which a volunteer used to be on duty. This often deprived a volunteer of the benefits if he happened to meet with an accident while returning home after duty, he said.
"This has changed since June last year. Now the period covered starts eight hours before duty and ends as many hours after duty," the ADG said.

A Welfare Fund has been in place for providing financial aid to the family members of the volunteers and scholarships to their children. The sanctioned amount for this has been raised from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore, he said.
Provision for employment to the family members of volunteers who lost their lives or suffer permanent disability, while on duty, has also been made, Tiwari said.
Volunteers are also benefiting from state government's thrust on e-governance, he said, adding that the stipend payment is being made online, ensuring speedy remittance while transparency has been brought in allocation of duties through a dedicated software, doing away with the manually prepared rosters.