The government is taking a series of initiatives to modernise the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force, strengthen its institutional capacity and improve the welfare and skills of its members, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.
He made the remarks on Thursday (October 1) while unveiling the foundation plaque of the force’s new headquarters in Tejgaon and visiting its existing headquarters in Khilgaon.
Later, the home minister inaugurated the newly constructed Agrojatra Bhaban, Prantik Sangjog service, Prantik Shakti initiative and a Mobile IT Training Centre at the Khilgaon headquarters.
Speaking as the chief guest, Salahuddin Ahmed said the initiatives would play an important role in making the force, which has nearly six million members, more dynamic and effective through modern infrastructure, technology, skills development and welfare-oriented programmes.
Senior Home Secretary Monzur Morshed Chowdhury, Ansar and Village Defence Force Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud, and officials and members of the force attended the programme.
The home minister said the new headquarters, which will be established on around 11 bighas of land in Tejgaon, would be an important milestone in modernising the force and strengthening its institutional capacity.
He said the headquarters would facilitate modern administrative management, central operations monitoring, faster information exchange, strategic planning and coordinated activities with other law enforcement agencies. It would also create opportunities to expand accommodation facilities for members in the future, he added.
Greater role in maintaining public security
Salahuddin Ahmed said the activities of Ansar battalion members would be strengthened as part of an integrated plan to maintain law and order.
He said they would work in coordination with other law enforcement agencies to combat extortion, control drugs and ensure public security.
He stressed the importance of performing duties professionally while respecting the law and human rights.
Referring to the historical development of the force, the minister said Ansar-VDP had become one of the country’s largest community-based security platforms through the philosophy of involving people in national security under the “People’s Warfare Doctrine” associated with the late President Ziaur Rahman.
He also said the institutional and legal foundations of the force were strengthened through the enactment of the Ansar Act, Battalion Ansar Act and Village Defence Party Act in 1995 during the government of the late Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
He suggested that a modern and integrated law could be formulated by bringing the existing three laws together to make the force’s activities more contemporary, coordinated and effective.
Focus on women’s empowerment and skills
On women’s empowerment and employment opportunities, the home minister highlighted initiatives including Japanese-language training, digital training, small entrepreneurship programmes and the Sanjiban project.
He said these initiatives were contributing to improving the skills and socioeconomic capacity of members.
He also described the digitalisation of the Ansar-VDP Development Bank as an important step towards member welfare.
The minister said an initiative to bring 100,000 Territorial Development Police (TDP) volunteers under training and digital management would help establish an efficient volunteer network for disaster response, rescue operations and public safety.
He said the new headquarters would strengthen coordination between central management and grassroots-level operations.
As a modern command centre, it would help monitor field-level situations, ensure rapid communication, improve operational coordination and support strategic planning, he added.
The minister said initiatives such as Prantik Sangjog, Prantik Shakti, the Mobile IT Training Centre and Sanjiban would contribute to improving the skills, employment opportunities and socioeconomic capacity of members and marginalised communities.
He stressed the need to transform the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force into a more modern, skilled and dynamic force through a combination of infrastructure development, technology-based management and people-oriented programmes.
He expressed hope that the force would become a stronger and more people-oriented institution by upholding discipline, professionalism, accountability, integrity and public service.
