217 Home Guards pass to join service of state

[caption id="attachment_153384" align="alignnone" width="550"] Namri Nchang, at right, takes the salute as newly-inducted Home Guards march past during the Home Guards and Civil Defence annual Rising Day and passing out parade of the 21st batch of the Nagaland Home Guards at the Central Training Institute at Toluvi in Dimapur on Wed. Dec. 6.[/caption] Eastern Mirror Desk Dimapur, Dec. 6: The annual Rising Day and passing out parade of the Home Guards and Civil Defence, its 21st batch, was conducted at the Central Training Institute at Toluvi in Dimapur on Wed. Dec. 6. Parliamentary secretary for Home Guards and Civil Defence Namri Nchang was the chief guest of the event. The role of the Home Guards and Civil Defence has assumed great significance in the modern times, the legislator said. For instance, their role in disaster management has provided the highest level of preparedness at regular intervals; the role of the Civil Defence personnel has increased manifold, he said. According to Namri Nchang, the government of India is taking initiatives to enhance techniques and improve and equip the National Disaster Response Force / State Disaster Response Force in order to be in a state of readiness for any eventuality. In the state of Nagaland, Nchang said, loss of life and destruction of property have not been experienced on a large scale. This does not however permit the department to be complacent, Nchang said. ‘The security forces, line departments and the administration and police have to focus on coordinating and be prepared to meet any type calamity,’ he explained. The ‘preparedness programme’ of the department should be to achieve results, he said. With the foresight to cope with any type of crisis, the department should remain alert, Nchang told the force. “According to home guards and defence motto ‘service before self,’ you are to rise to the occasion and be ever prepared to the call of duty anywhere in the state. Your preparedness should be seen day in and day out,” the department’s legislator said. The 21st batch of the Home Guards pass out after a rigorous 60-day training session of drill, weapon handling, static guard, traffic crowd control; civil defence, law and order, fire fighting, and disaster management. 217 trainees from 11 districts took part in the oath-taking and passing out parade.