The 63rd Home Guard Raising Day was observed across Prakasam, Nellore, Kadapa and Tirupati districts on Saturday (December 6). Various events commemorating the services and importance of Home Guards were organised on the occassion.
The honorarium for Home Guards was only ₹2 per day when the system was established in 1963; currently, it is ₹710 per day, said Prakasam Superintendent of Police (SP) V. Harshavardhan Raju on the occasion.
Speaking about the welfare schemes for Home Guards, he said that it was in Andhra Pradesh that a cooperative society for Home Guards was established for the first time. Based on eligibility, it can offer a loan up to ₹1 lakh. Every month, ₹50 is collected from each Home Guard, and ₹20 is deposited in the State fund and ₹30 in the district home guard welfare fund. Home Guards are also eligible for an assistance of ₹5,000.
There are 696 Home Guards, including 83 women, on duty in Praksam district, and they are an integral part of the police department, engaging in maintaining law and order, security, crime control, traffic control, dial-112, women police stations and disaster management, he said.
Meanwhile, Nellore SP Ajitha Vejendla handed over a Home Guard appointment order to the wife of T. Suresh, a Home Guard who passed away owing to illness. Later, she presented certificates of appreciation to 26 Home Guards for service excellence.
Kadapa SP Shelke Nachiket Vishwanath said 599 Home Guards are on general duty in the district and that their services are on a par with that of civil and AR police personnel.
Tirupati SP V. Harshavardhan Raju presented awards to Home Guards for service excellence. “If Home Guards encounter any problems while on duty, they should immediately inform their superiors, and the government, as well as the district police, will always be there to resolve their issues,” he said.