Meghalaya approves transfer of 708 Home Guard posts to SDRF

The Meghalaya Cabinet has approved the subsuming of 708 permanent posts of Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) into the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), while allowing the recruitment of an equal number of new volunteers to fill the resulting vacancies in the BWHG battalion.

The decision follows a court ruling mandating the government to regularize 708 individuals who were earlier appointed as volunteers. Once made permanent, these personnel were no longer eligible under the central government’s volunteer-related funding, which applies only to part-time or volunteer posts.

To address this, the Cabinet decided to transfer the 708 permanent employees to the SDRF, as their salaries are already borne by the state government. This move frees up 708 volunteer posts in the BWHG, which can now be refilled under the central government-funded scheme.

Officials said 708 new volunteers will be recruited under central funding, and the government will ensure that future policies prevent similar situations of mandatory absorption into permanent service.