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 internal security.
- 3.To prevent infiltration on the international border/coastal areas, the Border Wing Home Guards Battalions have been raised in some States.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Only two
Statements 2 and 3 are correct; statement 1 is wrong because Home Guards are a State subject raised under the Home Guards Acts and Rules of the States and Union Territories. There is no Central Home Guards Act.
- ✗ 1. The Ministry of Home Affairs has told Parliament that Home Guards are a State subject governed by the Home Guards Acts and Rules of the respective States/UTs, and that there is no Central Act on them.
- ✓ 2. The role of Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary force to the police in maintaining internal security, and also to help the community in emergencies such as fire, cyclone or earthquake.
- ✓ 3. In border States, Border Wing Home Guards battalions (Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal) serve as an auxiliary to the Border Security Force for preventing infiltration on the international border and coastal areas.
Remember · Home Guards: a State subject, raised under State/UT Home Guards Acts (no Central Act); auxiliary to the police; Border Wing battalions assist the BSF in border States.
Sources
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Rajya Sabha reply (28 March 2018) on Home Guards ↗ “Home Guards are State subject. Pay and allowance of home guards are governed by the Home Guards Acts and Rules of respective States/UTs. There is no Central Act governing the Home Guards in the country.”
- Directorate General Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards (MHA): About 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 … to serve as an auxiliary to Border Security Force for preventing infiltration on the international border/coastal areas, guarding of VA/VPs and lines of communication in vulnerable area at the time of external aggression”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·