Government Department

Punjab Home Guards

	Introduction
	Main Objective of this department
	Major Tasks of this department
	Supporting Organizational Structure
	Functions/Rules

Introduction

The Punjab home Guards and Directorate of Civil Defence, commonly known as Punjab Home Guards, were conceived as voluntary organization sometimes in 1960s. Since inception in Punjab, Punjab Home Guards and Directorate of Civil Defence have functioned under one Head of the Department. Broadly speaking, Punjab Home Guards Civil Defence is organized to solicit active help from the public men/public servant in providing various social services like Rescue of causality, flood relief, fire fighting particularly caused by incendiary bomb during war and warlike situation. Punjab Home Guards function as an auxiliary to the law and order enforcement agencies, mainly local police. Department of Punjab Home Guards has two separate wings:

 i) Border Battalion Wing 
 ii) Rural and Urban Wing 

            Bulk of Punjab Home Guards have continuously been engaged in maintenance of law and order, security of VIP's and vulnerable points in normal as well as emergent situations. It experienced considerable expansion of strength during militancy. The volunteers of Punjab Home Guards enrolled during the period of militancy have continued to be on active duty for more than a decade. The continuity on active duty has created a misunderstanding amongst the volunteers that they are also regular govt. employees on daily wages. Their status is entirely different from their misperceived thinking. The Punjab Home Guards act, 1947 and subsequently rulings by Supreme Court of India have clearly clarified that volunteers are neither Govt. employees temporary or adhoc nor are they wage earners. Their status is not more than that of a volunteer, who has joined Punjab Home Guards to render self-less service, till they are needed for different emergent situations. 

Main Objective of this department

             This department is an auxiliary to police. The main objective of the department is to provide volunteers to Police department for law and order & security duties etc. Besides, the department also provides Civil Defence training to general public.

Major Tasks of this department

The major task of the department is to recruit volunteers from all walks of life and to train them, to enable them to assist the Police in various security duties. The department also provides Civil Defence training to general public, Government employees, students etc. in order to help the community in any kind of emergency arising out of internal disturbances and external aggression etc.

Supporting Organizational Structure

At present the department is being headed by Shri A.P.Bhatnagar, IPS, an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police-cum-Commandant General Punjab Home Guards and Director Civil Defence, Punjab, Chandigarh.