Noida: 420 vacancies, but Prantiya Dal has only 172 members

NOIDA: Formed as a voluntary force with the intention of generating employment for rural youths willing to ensure communal harmony, Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) lacks adequate manpower, at least in Noida.
Gautam Budh Nagar currently has four companies of PRD with a total sanctioned strength of 420 personnel. “However, there are only 172 personnel serving in the four companies,” said Rishi Kumar, the district youth welfare and PRD officer.
“We receive requests from various government departments and residential societies for deployment of PRD personnel, but we are unable to meet the requirements due to lack of manpower,” he said.
According to officials, a proposal has also been sent to the state government for filling the vacancies in the force. “We have received a demand for 270 personnel alone from the Noida police, but we are unable to provide them the required manpower for regular duties,” Kumar said.
The Yogi Adityanath government has recently increased the daily allowance of the PRD workforce from Rs 375 to Rs 395, and the state government is also thinking over raising it to Rs 600, officials said.
In June, the youth welfare and PRD department in Lucknow decided to induct 45 members into the force for Gautam Budh Nagar for the financial year 2022-23. The preliminary training of the recruits has been completed at Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar.
Of them, 30 will be for urban areas and 15 for rural areas of the district, officials said. For the financial year 2022-23, PRD has a sanctioned budget of Rs 160 crore. The 172 PRD personnel from GB Nagar are currently deployed at government school, ITI institutes, Mandi Samitis, government offices, traffic duties and also at police stations.
Apart from physical fitness, mental health is also a significant criterion for the selection process. A fitness certificate issued by a government agency or any other competent authority is mandatory for the members.