New Delhi

Winter brings out the Pakistan-backed terrorists from their snowbound high altitude hideouts to safer niches in villages and towns of the Jammu in J&K, but this time, their journey is unlikely to be smooth as a formidable army of civilians is waiting for them.

In Chenab Valley bordering Kashmir 150 villagers, including women, are ready to take on the terrorists with automatic weapons and combat skills imparted to them by the Indian army recently.

🚨 BIG BREAKING NEWS

The Indian Army has begun structured training of Village Defence Guards (VDGs) in Doda district.

The training programme focuses on:
1. Weapons handling
2. Self-defence and basic combat skills
3. Surveillance and village protection techniques

This… pic.twitter.com/s6C95hRbeL

— Colonel Mayank Chaubey (@col_chaubey) January 1, 2026

The training is part of the amended scheme of civilians guarding their localities against terrorists in remote and inaccessible areeas and the borders. The “Village Defence Guards scheme' seeks to raise a formidable deterence to terrorists in the hinterlands and borders of J&K .

Interestingly, the Village defence Guards will include 18-20 per cent women volunteers. Sources said though it is not so easy to find women volunteers to pick gun, get trained and fight terrorists, there is palpable enthusiasm among women in Doda district.

A training program for Village Defence Guards (VDGs) was conducted in the border area of Akhnoor, focusing on enhancing weapon handling, situational awareness and security threat response to safeguard the communities.#BSF#FirstLineofDefence pic.twitter.com/dPFR8BuLRu

— BSF JAMMU (@bsf_jammu) June 3, 2025

The trainers are also trying to encourage women to join.This is a new chapter in the counterinsurgency operations in J&K, and all the forces involved in counterinsurgence in the UT - the BSF, the CRPF and the Police are training civilian volunteers in arms handling, bunker making and waging a posychological war against terrorists and infiltrators – the latter from the international borders.

A training program for Village Defence Guards (VDGs) was conducted in the border area of Akhnoor, focusing on enhancing weapon handling, situational awareness and security threat response to safeguard the communities.#BSF#FirstLineofDefence pic.twitter.com/dPFR8BuLRu

— BSF JAMMU (@bsf_jammu) June 3, 2025

The schemes of VDGs is an amended version of the since disbanded Village defence Committee scheme that was started in 1995 and ran into problems due to remuneration issues. The VDGs are volunteers and are paid an honorarium of Rs 4500.

Training workshop for Village Defence Group(#VDG) members by Indian Army in Reasi district.

VDGs will be partially filled by Ex- Security Servicemen to improve their operational capacity.#IADN pic.twitter.com/a2Dw8WKXvI

— News IADN (@NewsIADN) January 11, 2023

Earlier the remuneration was paid to one to two persons of each VDC for distribution among all. The system collapsed as the leaders of VDCs refused to share the money with others and dragged the government to the court.

The issue is before the courts but in the meanwhile the grid of VDCs had collapsed and only a few volunteers were active to dfefence themselves and communities against terrorists and it led to setback in anti-terrorist operations.

#WATCH | Bhalessa, Doda, J&K: To further strengthen counter-terrorism arrangements in the Doda district of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory, the Indian Army has initiated specialised guerrilla warfare training for Village Defence Guards (VDGs). (30.12) pic.twitter.com/oGlADvHaIH

— ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2025

With the Ministry of Home Affairs working out a new model of the VDG scheme in 2022, its implementation has just started in December. Within a month the, VDGs had  foiled two major terrorist attacks  – one in a Dessa village of Doda and other in Ramban.

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The village defence Guards are being set up in Doda, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, and Samba districts to boost the counter insurgency operations and be a force multipliers in the campaign against terrorists.