SP Malika Garg applauds services of home guards

Ongole: Prakasam district SP Malika Garg said that home guards are an integral part of the police department and they were working in all roles and responsibilities on par with the police personnel. She attended celebrations of the 59th Raising Day of Home Guards as chief guest at the police parade grounds and received the guard of honour along with parade commander G Hanumantha Rao in a specially decorated vehicle on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, the SP informed that the home guards organisation was raised in 1963, and there are a total of 788 personnel, including 705 men and 85 women working on law and order and deputation duties in the district.

She said that as an integral part of the police department, the home guards are working in the law and order, crime control, crime detection, traffic control and other duties just like the constables. She lauded the home guards for serving as the frontline warriors during the Covid pandemic, and during the natural calamities.

She also appreciated the women home guards for engaging in the law and order duties with a lot of sensitivity and working at Dial 100, police help desks, Disha police station and technical wings.

SP Malika Garg announced that the department was implementing various programmes for the welfare of home guards, including the Cooperative Credit Society to get loans at very low-interest rates, digital identity card, police canteen card, two days paid leave per month, three months paid maternity leave and eight per cent quota in the civil police and 10 per cent in the APSP recruitment, free medical service up to Rs 5 lakh under Dr YSR Arogyasri Trust, Rs 5,000 for marriage and medical assistance to the daughters of home guards and Rs 5 lakh compensation to the retired home guards and families of the deceased home guards in the line of duty. She also informed that the Home Guards' Durbar is being held on every Friday to address the issues and concerns of the home guards. She wished the home guards to perform their duties with dedication and devotion to bring a very good name to the police department as well as the home guard unit.

The SP presented mementoes to the home guards that provided the best services in the district along with parade commander G Hanumantha Rao, 3rd platoon commander Samba Nayak and 4th platoon commander Krishnaiah.

OSD K Chowdeswari, AR ASP Ashok Babu, DSB DSP B Mariyadas, Chirala DSP Srikanth, Markapuram DSP Kishore Kumar, Kandukuru DSP K Srinivasa Rao, DTC DSP Ramakrishna Rao, Ongole traffic DSP Mallikarjuna and other officers and home guard personnel also participated in the programme.