Shillong, Aug 20: The Meghalaya government on Wednesday handed appointment letters to 445 people who have been recruited by the Civil Defence and Home Guards Department.
Civil Defence and Home Guards Minister Comingone Ymbon handed the appointment letters to the recruits at the first ‘Rozgar Mela’ of the department in Mawdiangdiang.
These recruits will join as sub-inspectors, guardsmen, drivers and non-combatant employees.
Addressing the programme, Ymbon urged the new appointees to serve with discipline and integrity.
“Every action you take reflects not only upon yourself, but upon the institution you represent and upon the state you serve,” he said.
He said the Civil Defence and Home Guards Department stands as “pillars of courage and resilience” during natural calamities such as floods, earthquakes and cyclones, as well as during emergencies like fires, accidents and law-and-order situations.
Ymbon said the recruitment process was conducted smoothly and completed on time, despite a setback during the physical efficiency test due to rain.
Secretary of Civil Defence and Home Guards Vijay Kumar Mantri said that over 22,000 candidates were shortlisted and then filtered through physical and written tests, as well as interviews, to reach the final 445 appointments.
Director of Civil Defence MK Sangma said another 233 personnel would be recruited in the coming months.
He said a proposal has been submitted to the government to convert the Border Wing Home Guards Battalion into the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to address the shortage of manpower.
“The border wing would be raised separately on a voluntary basis with recruits drawn from border areas along Bangladesh, as originally envisaged by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs,” he said. (PTI)
