Home Guards scream for justice-
Demands wages at
par with Police officials
Rs.4 per day hike in wages –
A cruel joke with
Punjab Home Guards Jawans
Yes, when people are talking about high perks and
hi-fi lifestyle, the Home Guard jawans are careworn for the survival for
getting meager wages despite putting their life in danger at par with the other
security agencies. A small amount of hike of Rs.4 in their daily wages given by
the State Government is an eye-wash and cruel joke with the jawans.
Home Guards were raised in the
United Kingdom during World War-II as a voluntary citizen organisation for
local defence. The voluntary force, first raised in India
in December, 1946, to assist the police in controlling civil disturbance and
communal riots. Subsequently, the concept of the voluntary citizens force was
adopted by several States.
In the wake of Chinese aggression in 1962, the
Centre advised the State and Union Territories to merge their exiting voluntary
organisation into one uniform voluntary force known as Home Guards. The total strength of Home Guards in the
country is 5,73,793 against which the present raised strength is 4,86,401 HGs
in 25 state and the Union territories except in Kerala where its duties are
performed by other organizations.
Eighteen Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) Battalions
– Punjab 6, Rajasthan and Gujarat 4 each and Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and West
Bengal one each - have been raised in the border States to serve as an
auxiliary to Border Security Force for preventing infiltration on the
international border/coastal areas, guarding of VA/VPs and lines of
communication invulnerable areas at the time of external aggression.
In a district, the Commandant is assisted with
three Company Commandants (CC) one each in administration, store and training
centre. The duty of the training centre
incharge was to motivate the people to volunteer to join the Home Guards in
those days when there was no unemployment. But with the passage of time, now
there is a long queue of enrolled persons for joining even as guard in view of
bleak avenues for employment opportunities because of the pass-out of qualified students.
The Home Guard is equipped with and trained to use
older weapons such as the .303 Lee–Enfield SMLE rifle, Sten
and Bren guns which are manufactured indigenously by the Indian
Ordnance Factories controlled by the Ordnance Factories Board,
Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
But the meager wages of Rs.450 per day with five
percent increase every year with no other benefits like deduction of PF or
pension, the plight of this class could be well imagined in the inflation on
its peak.
The administrative set up is like that except the
post of Home Guards, all other posts are regular and pensionable.
In fact, the guards are not recruited but enrolled
which has no guarantee for security of service. However, they are called for
duty and otherwise they remain in their homes.
The cadre was created to help the police force but
despite giving better services than the police, they are deprived of various
service benefits.
It is a matter of great concern that Home Guards
perform their duties with dedication and devotion, at par with the Punjab
Police employees, in any odd circumstances even like election duty or Pathankot
terrorists attack but it is not understood as to why there is discrimination
with them in wages.
It had become difficult for the Home Guard jawans
to survive in view of the ever increasing price rise. They failed to meet the expenses of their
wards for education and family needs, which led to depression among them.
It is irony that when the state government spends
extravagantly on ministers, high officials, MLAs and the name of Sangat
Darshan, but it has nothing to give to give to Home Guard jawans.
Having left with no alternative, the guards moved
to the Apex Court for regularization of their services in a Civil Appeal
No.2760 of 2015 – Rakesh Kumr and others Vs State of Punjab and others. The Supreme Court upheld the decisions
of High Courts of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana and Himachal Pradesh that the
services of Home Guards in these three states cannot regularized.
"They
have never been paid salary/wages and there is no provision to make any payment
of salary/wages other than the duty allowance and other allowances," a
bench of justices SJ Mukhopadhaya and NV Ramana said.
Dismissing
the plea seeking regularization of services by various Home Guards and their
associations, the bench said that the state laws, relating to employing Home
Guards, do not provide for the regular employment in such cases.
"In
view of the discussion ..., no relief can be granted to the appellants either
regularization of services or grant of regular appointments hence no
interference is called for against the judgements passed by the Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi High Courts.
"However,
taking into consideration the fact that Home Guards are used during the
emergency and for other purposes and at the time of their duty they are empowered
with the power of police personnel we
are of the view that the State Government should pay them the duty allowance at
such rates, total of which 30 days (a month) comes to minimum of the pay to
which the police personnel of State are entitled," it said.
The bench
asked the three state governments to pass appropriate orders on payment of
allowance and asked them to treat Home Guards at par with regular police
personnel.
Home Guards Department honouring the orders of the
court, revised the daily wages of Rs.446 to Rs.450 – a fractional increase of
Rs.4 only during November 2015 which looks to be a cruel joke with the jawans
barring all other facilities of leave, medical facility or allowance. Among the allowances, only Rs.80 per month is
given as Washing Allowance.
However, the department created its own welfare
fund to honour the retiree with a gift and cash assistance of Rs.10,000
only.
Recently, the policing, law and order, security
and traffic control services were badly hit in Bihar when more than 50,000 Home
Guard frustrated personnel went on an indefinite strike to press for their
demands.
Not only this, even having angry over on regularization of their services by the
government, about 200 Home Guard jawans have sought permission to commit
suicide from PM and Rajasthan Chief Minister as mark of protest against
non-fulfilment of their long pending demand. 199 Home Guard jawans have also
written letters with their blood to them.
Frankly speaking, one of the Home Guard jawan who
came in my contact was worried about his future and cursing the government for
taking care of them.
Normally the unemployed youths and aged persons
are engaged who could serve at the residence of senior offices as security
guards or for their personal work.
Since the government already in fire over spending
lavishly on erecting memorials, sangat darshans, huge fleet of politicians with
infrastructure is not at all serious about the condition of its employees such
expenses are acceptable only when these are surplus after taking care of
various needy classes. The ‘minimum government, maximum governance’ flaunted principle
has to be adopted.
No doubt, technology is available but we are
lacking in root-level study and planning. Merely launching ‘Startup India’ with
promises of funds and tax incentives by the Prime Minister, would not suffice. The
use of public money for freebies do build the politicians’ image which helps in
winning elections but the system will have to be learned to make the feel happy
everyone.
The government is not paying any heed towards the
demands of Home Guard since the inception of the cadre and turned a deaf ear
towards their genuine demands. They are screaming for justice. It must think it
over on humanitarian grounds and take steps to solve the problems of Home
Guards to improve their living conditions, so that they too could enjoy the
post-retirement period.
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