Directorate of Civil Defence

Police Department

NOTE ON HOME GUARDS & CIVIL DEFENCE

Formation of the Home Guards in the state: In the wake of Chinese

aggression in October 1962 and as per Tamil Nadu Home Guards Rules 1963 the HGs
organization has come into being in Tamilnadu.

2. Strength: As on date there are 105 ½ companies of HGs (80.5 men

companies and 25 women companies viz.,) totalling 11,622 Home guards including 2750
women Home guards. All the districts and all the Police Commissionerates are having Home
guards units including women HG wing.
3. Organisational set up: The Home Guards organization is basically voluntary
in character and all the Home guard personnel being civilians are volunteers.

i) Central level: At the central level the Director General, National Emergency Response
Force & Civil Defence is responsible for all policy matters concerning rising, training
and equipping of Home guards in the country. He is assisted by a Dy.Director General,
HGs, an Asst.Dir.Genl. Home guards, a senior staff officer, Home Guards and a junior
staff officer together with the secretariat staff.

ii) State level: The following is the state level set up of Home guards organisation:

a) Director Genl.of Police : Commandant Genl. of Home Guards

b) I.G.P : Dy.CMT Genl. Home guards
c) District SPs / COPs : Commandants, Home Guards of their
respective
district / city unit.
d) Asst.CMTs General : Civilians (There are six A.C.Gs in
Tamilnadu
- ACGs South zone @ Tiruppur,
Villupuram range & Cuddlore,
Vellore range & Vellore, Chennai
city @ Chennai, Tirunelveli
range
@ Tirunelveli and Ooty and
Trichy
range at Trichy.
f) Area Commanders : Civilians (in each district / city there is an
Area Commander
g) Dy.Area Commanders : Civilians (women only)
h) Divisional Commanders
i) Company Commanders
j) Platoon Commanders
k) Asst. Platoon Commanders
l) Section Leaders
m) Asst. Section leaders
n) Home guard
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Note: Persons from Sl.No.(h) to (n) may either from govt. departments / quasi govt or
public section undertakings or unemployed youths.
4. Role and duties: The Home guards are in the nature of an auxiliary force to
the Police force. They are assisting the district Police administration in the maintenance of Law
& order, crowd control, crime prevention, manning traffic points, VIP bandobust, bandobust
during big fairs and festivals, election bandobust duty besides rendering rescue and relief
measures during natural calamities like flood, cyclone, earthquake, epidemic, tsunami,
landslide, etc. They are also participating in the socio-economic and welfare activities such as
adult education, health and hygienic programmes, Traffic awareness programmes and such
other tasks as are deemed useful.

5. Recruitment and appointment of Home guards: A person who has

completed the age of 20 years and has not completed the age of 45 years is appointed as a
member of Home Guard by the district SP / COP who are the Commandants of Home Guards
in the districts / city. Candidates who are having SSLC qualification may be appointed as Home
Guards.

6. Coordination with the Police and other departments like revenue & fire
and rescue services: To meet the challenges from the natural disasters (like floods,
cyclones, tsunami, storm, tempest, inundation, earthquake, famine etc); Man made disasters
(like war and invasion, terrorist attack, use of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons, communal rioting resulting in large scale killings, arson,
lootings, etc), and Accidental disasters (like fire, explosions, environmental pollution, etc) the
Home guards / Civil Defence, Police and fire and rescue services personnel have a role to play
in assisting the civil administration in the rescue and relief operations. As regards major
evacuation of people from the marooned or flood affected areas concerned, the Police, Fire &
rescue services and the Home guards may work conjointly with a common spirit of saving the
lives of the affected people and minimizing the damages to properties.

7. Call outs and special call outs: Every month the HGs have to perform 4
regular call outs (Parade – 2, Traffic duty – 2). In addition to these, depending on the need, the
district SPs / Police Commissioners who are the Commandants of HGs organization utilize the
services of the HGs in their respective jurisdiction on special occasions like VIP visits, big fairs
and festivals bandobust, etc by way of special call outs. These days most of the district SPs /
COPs are liberally using the Home guards for night rounds to control crimes. For every call out
(both regular call out and special call out) each Home Guard is paid Rs.45/- as Duty allowance
in the state.

8. Achievements during 2007:

8. Washing allowance: As per G.O.Ms.No.1208 Home dept dt.25.5.76, each
Home guard is paid Re.1/- for each call out subject to a maximum of Rs.4/- (Rs.four only) per
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month. Since the amount is too meager, the Govt of India have already enhanced the Washing
allowance to Rs.25/-p.m w.e.f 1.10.2002. A proposal to enhance the Washing allowance to
Rs.25/- per month has already been sent to the Government vide this office letter
No.A2/4975/HG/04 dt.24.2.04. The DGP/Government is being reminded periodically. Govt.
orders are awaited.

9. Funeral allowance: The Govt. of India vide their Lr.No.VI-31011/1/ 98 DGCD

(HG) dt.10.4.03 have increased the exgratia grant for funeral expenses of Home Guards and
Civil Defence volunteers who die while on duty from Rs.100/- to Rs.1000/- with retrospective
effect from 25.3.2003. A proposal for the sanction of funeral allowance of Rs.1000/- (Rs.one
thousand only) to the families of those Home guards who die while on duty to be met out from
Tamilnadu Home Guards Welfare and Benevolent Fund is pending with the Government vide
file No.1929/A2/HG/2002. The DGP/Government is being reminded periodically.

10. TA / DA to be increased: The following is the existing rate of TA/DA for the
Home Guard personnel as per G.O.Ms.No.260 Home (Pol.XII) dept dated 1.2.1985.

Area Commander / Dy.Area Commander/ : Rs.11.50 per day

Divisional Commander / Company Commander

Platoon Commander / Asst.Pltn.Commander / : Rs. 7 per day

Section Leader / Asst.Section Leader

Home Guard : Rs. 5 per day

Since the Home Guards are performing duties almost on par with Police personnel the
TA/DA shall be increased taking into account the eligibility of TA/DA to their equivalent
rank in State Police cadre

A proposal to increase the TA/DA has been sent to Government thro’ DGP office vide
this office letter No.A1/1992/HG & CD/07 dt.29.5.2007.

11. Tamilnadu Home Guards Welfare and Benevolent Fund: As per the
guidelines fixed by the Government vide G.O.Ms.No.1635 Home (Pol.H) dept dated 11.7.1990
every Home guard has to contribute Re.1 per month towards Tamilnadu Home Guards Welfare
and Benevolent Fund.

- The fund is administered by a Managing committee headed by the D.G.P who is also
the Commandant General, Home Guards. The committee meets twice a year and
considers the financial assistance to the most deserving Home guards / dependents /
legal heir as per the recommendation made by the district S.P / COP.

- This fund was established for providing financial assistance to the most deserving Home
guards / to their dependents / legal heir as a welfare measure in order to promote
comradeship, brotherhood and to act as a morale booster. The objectives of the Fund
are -
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a) to provide financial assistance in the following manner:-

i) One time lumpsum grant of Rs.3000/- to the dependents of the deceased

members of the Home guards who die while on duty.

ii) One time lumpsum grant of Rs.1500/- to the injured or disabled members
of the Home guards who got injured or disabled while on duty.

iii) One time lumpsum grant of Rs.1000/- to the members of the Home
guards in distress situation, while on duty.

iv) One time lumpsum grant of Rs.300/- per child upto school level and
Rs.1,600/- each at college level (upto a maximum of two children) for the
children of the deceased or disabled members of the Home guards for
educational purposes like purchasing of books, stationery, etc.

v) One time lumpsum grant of Rs.2,500/- for marriage of daughter of

deceased or disabled members of the Home guards who died or got
disabled while on duty.

vi) One time lumpsum grant of Rs.2000/- for the purpose of purchasing
machines for self-employment, to the widow of the deceased or disabled
members of the Home guards for their livelihood in deserving cases.

b) To provide funds for welfare activities including welfare center at the Home
guards units, central training institute on district training centers.

c) To promote sports, cultural, educational, recreational activities including making

provision of information, recreational rooms and libraries in Home guards units,
central training institute or district training centres.

12. CD Plan for Greater Chennai and Kalpakkam was approved by the Govt
of India – State Govt’s orders are awaited: The Civil Defence plan for Greater Chennai and
Kalpakkam (where atomic power station is located) was approved by the Govt.of India vide
their letter No.VIII/11012/41/2002-DGCD(CD) dated:17.6.2002 and the State government has
already been requested to issue early orders for the formation and functioning of Civil Defence
set up in Tamil Nadu. In the meantime, as per Government direction, I visited Mumbai during
3/2007; gathered the details of Mobile column functioning in Mumbai, Maharashtra state and
sent a detailed report on ‘State Mobile Civil Emergency Column’ of Mumbai to the Government
vide this office D.O.Lr.No.1968/A2/HG & CD/2004 dt.29.3.2007 to the then Special Secretary to
Government, Home department, Chennai-9. In view of the importance given to disaster
management in the recent period, the commencement of Civil defence set up in Tamilnadu is
very essential in order to train the civilians in rescue and search operations during disastrous
situations.

13. Revamping of Civil Defence – High Power Committee’s

recommendations - As per Government direction, I attended the video conferencing on the
recommendation of High Power Committee on revamping of Civil Defence in the country on
5.7.07 at Secretariat, Chennai-9 conducted by the Shri J.K.Sinha, Member (incharge for Civil
Defence), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), New Delhi in which
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representatives of the States of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
participated. In this connection, a report to the Government / D.G.P vide this office letter
No.A2/1026/HG & CD/2006 dt.6.7.07.

14. Financial Policy: The expenditure on all authorized items has to be first
incurred by the State Government and thereafter 25% of the amount incurred used to be
reimbursed by the Central Government in the form of grants-in-aid to the State government as
policy. These grants-in-aids are released in the form of reimbursement of share of expenditure
while settling the quarterly claims submitted by the State government.

15. Home Guards annual day / raising day being celebrated on 6th
December every year: Every year, 6th December is being celebrated as the annual day /
raising day of the Civil Defence and Home guards organization and during such celebrations
events like Parade, Route marches, demonstrations like First aid, Fire fighting, Rescue
operation, Games & sports and Blood donations and free medical camps (with the help of Dist.
medical officers and service organizations like the Lions Club, Rotary club and Round Table)
used to be conducted.

16. Home Guards & CD training institute at Ooty. The Home Guards & Civil
Defence Training institute was commenced at Ooty during 1994 with the sanctioned strength of
1 Vice Principal, 1 Chief Instructor, 3 Instructors and 9 other supporting staff. Though CD
organization is yet to take shape in our state, the Home Guards of Tamilnadu have been given
training at the CD training institute. At present the following courses are conducted every year
and about 30 - 40 Home guards are being trained in every course. So far, 3999 Home Guards
were imparted training.

i) CD Advance Casualty service course including first aid courses both for men and
women Home Guards.
ii) CD Advance Rescue course including rescue courses
iii) CD Communication course
iv) CD Training of trainees course
v) CD Auxiliary Fire fighting and basic fire fighting courses
vi) CD Advance UXB Reconnaissance and reporting course
vii) CD Advance Nuclear biological & chemical welfare course
viii) CD Disaster management & relief course
ix) a) CD Condence course
b) CD Advance warden service course
c) CD planning course for categorized towns / industries
x) Watermanship course

I.G.P/Director of Civil Defence &

Dy.Commdt.Genl. Home Guards