Two Meghalaya civil defence personnel to receive national honours on I-Day

Two members of Meghalaya's Civil Defence and Home Guards Department have been recognised with the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) as part of this year's Independence Day honours, the state directorate announced Wednesday.

Badalyne Kharkongor, Divisional Commandant of the Shillong Home Guards Division, and Naik Parsing Ch Marak from the Central Training Institute of Civil Defence & Home Guards received the prestigious awards following approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The recognition comes at a significant time for India's emergency services. Last October, the President's Secretariat issued a landmark notification merging the service and gallantry medals of four key organisations - Police, Fire Service, Home Guard & Civil Defence, and Correctional Service - into unified awards.

This restructuring, outlined in notifications 88-91-Pres/2023 dated October 14, 2023, eliminates organisation-specific medals in favour of common recognition across all four services. The change ensures that officers and personnel from police, fire, home guard and correctional services receive identical medals for similar acts of service or gallantry.

The Meritorious Service Medal recognises exceptional devotion to duty and professional competence over sustained periods. For civil defence and home guard personnel, who often work as volunteers alongside regular duties, such recognition highlights their vital role in disaster management and community safety.

Meghalaya's Civil Defence and Home Guards units have been instrumental in responding to natural disasters, maintaining public order during emergencies, and supporting regular police operations across the state's challenging terrain.