Etawah (UP), Mar 10 (Reporter) Home Guard and Civil Defence Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dharamvir Prajapati on Monday said that the state government will equip the Home Guard jawans with INSAS rifles and the commandant with a pistol for protection. While talking to the reporters, the Minister said that the UP government is working to improve the system of the state's Home Guards. He said that the state government is engaged in playing an active role in improving the living standards of the personnel working in the Home Guard department, in this episode the state government has also decided to make radical changes. He said that the department will now provide INSAS rifles to the Home Guards for security as well as pistols to the Commandant. "For this 300 rifles are being purchased in the state. Pistols will be provided to the district Commandant and Deputy Commandant," he said. Prajapati said that the Home Guards are being trained for 92 days across the state. "In the previous government, they used to get accident insurance of Rs 3 lakh. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has increased it to Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia. This ex-gratia amount will be given to them in case of death in an accident at home or anywhere during duty," he said. He said that the government has increased the amount by Rs 2 lakh. "Along with this, an agreement has been made with the banks that the home guards will only open and operate their account in the bank. In case of death due to any accident, the bank will give Rs 30 lakh, while the department will give Rs 5 lakh. In such a situation, in case of an accident with them the family will get an amount of Rs 35 lakh," he said. The Minister said that the government has also increased the daily allowance of the Home Guards from Rs 375 to Rs 600. "53 percent dearness allowance has also been added to it, now they are getting Rs 918 as daily allowance. This is the biggest step of the government for the upliftment of the lives of the Home Guards," he said...////...