Tech to tackle corruption in Home Guards

• Introduction of biometric and automated duty rotation systems
• Health insurance for regular parade attendees
• Civil Defence wing

Udupi: Technology by the way of biometric and automated duty rotation systems would be introduced in the Home Guards organisation to weed out corruption, said Inspector-General of Police(IGP), Home Guards and Civil Defence Roopa D. said here on Wednesday, August 8^th.

During her visit to the Home Guards Office here, Ms.Roopa spoke to presspersons and said that the Home Guards organisation spent Rs. 1 crore on parade allowance per month all over the State. However, there were complaints from all districts that there was pilferage in it as some Home Guards did not attend parades. But it was being shown in the bills that they had attended them to claim the allowance.

Biometric attendance

It has been decided to have biometric attendance of Home Guards through the biometric system installed on tabs. The portable system can be taken to the parade grounds to take the attendance of the Home Guards there. Also, the same biometric method would be used while training Home Guards.

But the problem was that some Home Guards wanted to serve in select departments such as Excise or Regional Transport Office. Some Home Guards did want to do mundane duties such as bandobast and traffic management.

“We want a rotational system whereby Home Guards are rotated among departments than getting stuck in one particular department. This, we will ensure through software providing for automated duty rotation system,” she said.

Health insurance

The Home Department was suggested to provide health insurance coverage and ration to Home Guardsand Home Guards personnel who attended parades regularly would be considered for it.  Of the about 12,000 Home Guards, about 6,000 turned up regularly for parades.

Civil Defence wing

Civil Defence wing volunteers differ from Home Guards as the former were being trained for tackling natural and man-made disasters, while the latter were being trained in police duties. After enrolling Civil Defence volunteers in Bengaluru, volunteers will be enrolled in all districts of the State with priority given to enrollment in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. Once volunteers are selected, we will send them to NCDC training centre, Nagpur. There were no trained volunteers in Udupi during the heavy rains this time. Civil defence volunteers are the first to respond in such situation, she explained. 

“The volunteers will be paid Rs 300 per day as honourary payment. Law pursuing students, engineers, and polytechnic students who have technical skills of fire fighting can enroll. There is no provision to make them as permanent staff according to the Act. Unless the Act changes, we cannot make the volunteers as permanent staff. They will be appointed as contract based workers. There is a demand for increasing the daily allowance up to Rs 455. The demand was approved in the recent state budget. The earlier daily allowance was Rs 400. But the process was getting delayed due to the formation of the new government. It takes time to implement changes,” she added. 

Indiviuals interested to become Civil Defence volunteers could submit their applications at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office or the District Police Office or to the Chief Wardens of Civil Defence, once they were appointed, informed Ms. Roopa.