With reference to Home Guards, consider the following statements. How many of the above statements are correct?

UPSC Prelims 2023 Question:

With reference to Home Guards, consider the following statements:

1. Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the Central Government.
2. The role of the Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary force to the police in maintenance of the internal security.
3. To present infiltration on the international border/coastal areas, the Border Wings Home Guards Battalions have been raised in some States.

How many of the above statements are correct?

a) Only one

b) Only two

c) All three

d) None

Correct Answer: Option b) Only two

Learn more about the Home Guards in the given explanation below.

Explanation:

Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the States/Union Territories. They are recruited from amongst all classes of people and walks of life, who give their spare time to the organisation for betterment of the community. So, statement 1 is not correct.

Role of Home Guards

• The role of Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary Force to the Police in maintenance of internal security situations, help the community in any kind of emergency such as an air-raid, fire, cyclone, earthquake, epidemic etc. help in maintenance of essential services, promote communal harmony and assist the administration in protecting weaker sections, participate in socio-economic and welfare activities and perform Civil Defence duties. So, statement 2 is correct.
• Fifteen Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) Battalions have been raised in the border States viz. Punjab (6 Bns.), Rajasthan ( 4 Bns.), Gujarat (2 Bns.) and one each Battalion for Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal to serve as an auxiliary to Border Security Force for preventing infiltration on the international border/coastal areas. So, statement 3 is correct.

So, only two of the above statements are correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Subject: Polity | Governance

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