The Union Home Ministry is considering the deployment of Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) along the frontier with China, in a structure similar to their existing role on the India-Pakistan border, as per officials cited by The Hindu .
The BWHGs are drawn from local populations in border districts and are meant to serve as auxiliaries to the Army and other security forces during emergencies. Currently, seven States are authorised to raise such units – Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
At present, however, only Rajasthan has an active contingent, with 2,279 BWHGs. Their effectiveness was underscored during Operation Sindoor, where they were engaged in relaying information to and from villagers living close to the border.
“It is a voluntary force and Rajasthan is the only State which has BWHGs in the present times. They perform the responsibilities of a Constable and are usually enlisted for three to four years,” an official was quoted as saying.
“25 per cent cost of training and financial support is borne by the Government of India. The usual pay compares to Rs 800-900 per day, equivalent to that of a Constable’s salary,” the official added.
The Home Ministry recently held discussions on scaling up BWHGs, with the aim of working in tandem with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which secures the 3,488-km-long boundary with China. Officials said the move would strengthen India’s physical presence as well as improve intelligence gathering in these sensitive areas.
Since the 2020 Galwan clashes, in which 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel, lost their lives, more than 50,000 Army and ITBP troops have been stationed in eastern Ladakh.
Despite multiple rounds of talks, Indian troops have not resumed patrolling at 26 of the 65 designated points in the region, many of which have now been turned into buffer zones where both sides have pulled back. Patrolling points are crucial as they serve to reinforce territorial claims along the undefined Line of Actual Control (LAC).