The protection of life and property is the primary function of the state government. In modern times the Welfare state has enlarged the scope of its functions, but the security of life and property still remain the most basic, of its duties. To maintain this, the state delegates its power to its official agencies but as the task is of such vital importance to the community, it rightly expects of its citizens as awareness of their responsibilities and demands from them a positive contribution in achieving this purpose. One such agency through which public service is being rendered by the citizen in the Home Guards organisation. TheOrganisation which is purely voluntary comprises of men and women who their services at the disposal of the state during times of necessity. A HomeGuards a member of the public, who in course of time, will be treated to carry out the various functions for the wellbeing of his fellow citizens.

The Home Guard Organisation in the erstwhile Bombay state was formed in the Year 1946. It was an entirely voluntarily set up of organisation. A year later in 1947, Bombay Home Guards Act, 1947 [Act no. III of 1947] was enacted by the state Legislature to give legal Sanction and authority to this organisation. The same set up has been continued after the formation of the Maharashtra State.

Government has created post of Commandant-General to manage the organisation of Home Guards. The Commandant-General is responsible for the administration of the Home Guards organisation at district level an honorary post of District Commandant has been created. For official work in the staff has been appointed, while for executive action there are some honorary posts at Taluka level, the Home Guards organisation has Taluka Units Mumbai and 34 District and 369 Taluka units are functioning at Taluka level, and below the Taluka Units in big villages 130 sub-units are functioning. The Central Government decides the target strength of Home Guards. Organisation in the States as it borne 25% of the expenditure on the Home Guards Organisation which StateGovernment incurs. So far the target strength of the Home Guards in the State was 53,856.

The position of voluntary organisation involved in the erstwhile Bombay State and subsequently continued after the formation of Maharashtra State, has become a national model which has been emulated by the other State. In the year 1959 this model recommended by the Government of India to be followed by other States in the country. The unique feature of the pattern is that, excluding administrative. Officer staff, and the strainer staff, the appointment up to the top position of Commandant as the District level are held in honorary capacity by persons engaged indifferent walks of life. The appointments of District level Commandants are now governed the HomeGuards rules, which have been amended in December 2006.

Under Modernisation of Home Guards, the Construction of Building of Home Guards Training Centres in each district Home Guards office has been carried out from the funds received from Central Government since 2003. The construction of District Training Centres Amravati, Dhule, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Osmanabad, Raigad, Wardha, Solapur, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Ratnagiri, Sangali, Aurangabad and Pune has been successfully completed.

Constructions of buildings for district training centres at Sindhudurg&Satara is under progress, while the construction of building of training centres for the remaining districts will be started at earliest. Various types of training programmes are carried out to improve standard and Qualitative efficiency of the Home Guards.

Since 2003 under modernization programme of Home Guard offices / training centres were provided with equipment like Multimedia projector, DVD Player, Video Camera, Digital Camera, Computers, Printers, Emergency Lights etc., With the help of these equipment the Qualitative efficiency of Home Guards can Be geared up during training programmes. It may help to achieve the target of Home Guards recruitments efficiently.

Home Guard Act, 1947
[Amended up to 13 Nov 2006]
Home Guard Rules, 1953
[Revise up to 1960]