UP home guard recruitment to begin immediately; disaster management-trained candidates to get priority

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the immediate commencement of the registration process for vacant Home Guard posts. Chairing a high-level meeting, the Chief Minister instructed officials to constitute a new board for Home Guard recruitment in coordination with the police recruitment and training board.

The Chief Minister directed that the maximum age for Home Guard applicants be reduced from 45 years to 30 years old. He further emphasised that a written exam will be made mandatory in the recruitment process. Priority will also be given to individuals who have completed training or have experience in disaster management.

According to officials, recruitment is planned in two phases for more than 44,000 posts. At present, out of 1,18,348 sanctioned Home Guard positions, 71,155 are active. Nearly 38,000 volunteers are scheduled to retire within the next ten years, while more than 51 per cent of the current force comprises volunteers aged above 50 years.

The CM Yogi underlined the need to provide greater opportunities to the youth in Home Guard services and directed that the new registration mechanism be prepared at the earliest.

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Digital transition of Home Guard operations

Officials briefed that Home Guards are currently deployed across multiple departments and institutions, including police, traffic management, health, education, transport, mining, urban local bodies, Doordarshan, All India Radio, Food Corporation of India, and development authorities.

Home Guards also contributed to the recently concluded Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, electoral duties in other states, and large-scale events such as Mahakumbh 2025.

The official further stated that the department is transitioning all its operations to digital platforms, with functions such as duty allocation, allowance payments, ex gratia benefits, and pension disbursement now being fully managed online.