J&K Civil Defence, Home Guard & SDRF
Homeguards
During World War –II Homeguards a voluntary organisation for local Defence was raised in the United Kingdom. In India on December 6 1946 Homeguards were raised in Bombay to assist in controlling Civil disturbances. In the wake of Chinese aggression of in 1962 all voluntary organizations of States and Union territory were merged into one All India Homeguards which is voluntary both in concept and character.
ROLE OF HOMEGUARDS
The following are the roles assigned to the Homeguards:
- To serve as an Auxiliary to the police
- Assist the community in emergency
- Promote communal harmony
- Protect weaker sections of the society
- Participate in Scio-economic and welfare activities
ROLE OF HOMEGUARDS IN CIVIL DEFENCE DUTIES
In categorized Civil Defence towns under mentioned Civil Defence Services have to be manned by Homeguards.
- Incident control and Reconnaissance parties
- Rescue parties
- Tralior pump parties
- Mobile canteen
- Part time Instructors
Homeguards should be utilized to help the community in any kind of Human and Natural calamities. Trained Homeguards personnel in rescue and relief work will be able to provide the services to the effected peoples during such calamities. In order to utilize the Homeguards, their services may be made available to the Disaster management authority.
Women Homeguards is raised keeping in view the need for certain kind of services which women can perform with greater aptitude such as welfare services. Such Women Homeguards can also assist Women police in duties relating to Law and Order.
The age group for initial recruitment is 18 to 50 years with high degree of physical fitness.
J&K State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)
The erstwhile Homeguards came into existence after Indo-Pak war in 1965 and were put on consolidated wages. They immediately started showing their existence through protracted training programmes and call-up duties, as such they were organised into two Battalions Ist & 2nd and brought under graded pay scale on Ist June 1979. Due to their excellent performance and sincerity both the Battalions were made permanent by the State Govt. thus bringing them at par with regular employees of the Force. During the year 1989 when the voluntary Homeguards scheme prevalent in the country was introduced in the State also, the nomenclature of these two battalions was conspicuously changed as Aux. Police. The man power of these battalions is spread out in whole of the state with almost a coy in each of the districts. The coys have been deployed on static guard duties, law and order duties, traffic duty and security duty also.
Vide Govt. Order No. 159(HG)-Home of 2012 dated 21-02-2012, the existing two Battalions of Auxiliary Police were converted as Jammu & Kashmir State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
Civil Defence
Civil Defence in India owes its origin to the erstwhile Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Organisation raised and operated during World War-II by the Ministry of Defence to safeguard the life and property of the civilian population and also to maintain the continuity of production and economic activity of the nation during the war time. Subsequent to the Chinese aggression in 1962 and Indo-Pak conflict in 1965, there was a considerable rethinking about the policy and scope of Civil Defence which culminated in the Civil Defence Act of 1968.
The aims of Civil Defence as enshrined in the Civil Defence Act, are to
- to save life;
- to minimize the damage to the property
- continuity of production; and
- to keep up the high morale of public
During any hostile attack whether from air, land, sea and other such places.
For more on the subject please visit J&K Civil Defence, Home Guard & State Disaster Response Force website
The contact information of the officers of the J&K Civil Defence, Home Guard & State Disaster Response Force is: