CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Friday directed the State Government to pay Home Guards remuneration equivalent to the minimum monthly pay of the personnel in the lowest rank of Odisha Police as per the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations. The Government has engaged around 18,000 Home Guards who are part of the police force but are not regular employees.
They are not paid a monthly salary, but paid duty call allowance on daily basis. In January 2018, the Government had enhanced their duty call allowance from Rs 240 to Rs 300 per day. The Single Judge Bench of Justice Biswanath Rath expected the Government to implement the Supreme Court order of 2015 while directing that the enhanced remuneration should take effect within three months. In the interim, the Home Guards should be paid Rs 500 duty allowance per day retrospectively from January 2020, Justice Rath specified in the order.
Justice Rath issued the order on a petition filed by Prakash Kumar Jena and two others seeking direction to the Government to implement the 2015 SC order. Arguing their case, advocate Nira Sundar Panda had submitted that the Commandant General, Home Guards in a letter to the Principal Secretary, Home department on November 10, 2016 recommended for enhancing remuneration of these employees in compliance with the SC judgement. But the Government had not taken any decision on the letter till date, Panda stated. The Supreme Court in March 2015 had directed the States to pay Home Guards “the duty allowance at such rates, total of which 30 days (a month) comes to minimum of the pay to which the police personnel of State are entitled.”