The Orissa High Court on Friday directed the State Government to pay the Home Guards remuneration equal to that of the lower-rank salary of regular police personnel (Constables). The court’s decision will bring cheers to about 18,000 Home Guards who are deployed for various duties now each being paid only Rs 300 per day.
Justice Biswanath Rath directed the Government to implement the Supreme Court ruling in this connection and asked it to fix the remuneration of the Home Guards within three months.“As an interim measure the Home Guards will now get a daily remuneration of Rs 500 from January 1, 2020,” said advocate Nira Sundar Panda, who argued the case for the Home Guards.Guided by the principle of equal pay for equal work, the SC in 2015 had directed the State Govts that the Home Guards should be given the duty allowance at such rates, total of which 30 days (a month) comes to the minimum of the pay to which a regular police personnel of the State is entitled.
