Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assurance, the Ministry of Home Affairs today announced payment of Rs 4500 per month to the leader of Village Defence Group (VDG), previously known as Village Defence Committees (VDCs), and Rs 4000 per month to the members, benefitting 27515 persons.
Village Defence Committees (VDCs) were first set up in the mid-1990s in the Chenab valley area of Jammu and Kashmir for the self-defence of minority communities in remote hilly villages amid surge of militancy there. These committees consisted of villagers as well as police officers.
The VDC Member of Chaka Kundi of Ramban District Thanked PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah for Orders issued for constituting Village Defence Groups in Jammu and Kashmir. They said from last many year’s theirs demands not fulfill but finally BJP fulfill our demands.
An MHA order issued today said the members of the Village Defence Group (VDG) will be designated as the Village Defence Guards (VDGs) instead of earlier designation of VDCs
In the nineties, the VDCs were set up for defence of the people living in far-flung and remote areas when the militancy was at its peak and they had defended the people bravely from many terrorist attacks.