New Delhi: As many as 948 Village Defence Groups (VDGs) have been trained by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jammu & Kashmir from January 6 to 25 this year, the central government has informed in the Rajya Sabha. "CRPF has imparted necessary training to 948 VDG members in collaboration with district police Rajouri from January 6 to 25," said Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Stating that the sanctioned strength of VDGs in J&K is 4985, Rai said a total of 4153 VDGs have been constituted. "Ministry of Home Affairs vide its letter dated March 2, 2022 has decided that there will not be more than 15 members in each VDG. The persons who shall be heading and coordinating the VDGs in the more vulnerable areas shall be paid Rs 4,500 per month and the persons who are the members of the VDGs on a voluntary basis shall be paid a uniform rate of Rs 4,000 per month," Rai said.
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Further defining the VDGs, Rai said that village defence guards should consist of those in possession of a valid arms license and to whom weapons have been provided by the J&K police, determined by the district magistrate, senior superintendent of police concerned, keeping in view the credentials of the volunteers, population of the village, its location and security requirement.
The VDGs should also consist of persons in possession of valid license and weapons or willing to purchase weapons on their own, Rai said. Stating that the number of counter-terror operations in J&K has witnessed an increase, Rai said that 111 counter-terror operations were conducted in the region in 2022 in comparison to the previous years' 95 such counter-terror operations.
As many as 187 terrorists were killed in 2022 in comparison to the previous years' number of 180. Rai further said that the civilian casualties have registered a decrease in J&K. 30 civilians were killed in terror-related incidents in 2022 in comparison to the previous years' 41 casualties.
