New headquarters to usher in modernisation of Ansar-VDP

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has unveiled the foundation plaque of the new headquarters of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (Ansar-VDP) in Tejgaon and inaugurated several new initiatives at the force’s existing headquarters in Khilgaon as part of its modernisation drive.

The initiatives include the newly constructed ‘Agrajatra Bhaban’, ‘Prantik Sangjog’ service, ‘Prantik Shakti’ and a mobile IT training centre.

Speaking as the chief guest at the programme on Thursday, the home minister said the initiatives would play an important role in making the force, which has nearly 60 lakh members, more dynamic and effective through modern infrastructure, technology, skills development and welfare programmes.

Senior Home Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, Ansar-VDP Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmood and officials and members of the force attended the event.

The minister said the new headquarters, planned on around 11 bighas of land in Tejgaon, would be an important milestone in the force’s institutional development and modernisation.

He said the headquarters would facilitate modern administrative management, central operational monitoring, rapid 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.

Referring to law and order, the minister said activities of Ansar battalion members would be strengthened as part of coordinated efforts to maintain public security. He said they would work with other agencies to combat extortion, control drugs and ensure public safety.

He stressed that members must perform their duties professionally while respecting the law and human rights.

Highlighting the force’s historical development, the minister said Ansar-VDP had evolved into one of the country’s largest community-based security platforms. He said there was a need to consider a modern, integrated law by combining the three existing laws governing the force to make its activities more coordinated and effective.

On women’s empowerment and employment, Ahmed highlighted initiatives including Japanese-language and digital training, small entrepreneurship programmes and the ‘Sanjiban’ project, saying these could help improve the skills and socioeconomic capacity of members.

He also described the digitalisation of Ansar-VDP Development Bank as an important welfare initiative. He said plans to train and bring one lakh TDP volunteers under digital management would help build an effective volunteer network for disaster response, rescue operations and public safety.

The minister said the new headquarters would strengthen coordination between central management and grassroots-level operations. As a modern command centre, it would support field-level monitoring, rapid communication, operational coordination and strategic planning.

He said initiatives such as ‘Prantik Sangjog’, ‘Prantik Shakti’, the mobile IT training centre and the ‘Sanjiban’ project would contribute to skills development, employment and socioeconomic empowerment of members and marginalised communities.

The minister said infrastructure development, technology-based management and people-oriented programmes should be combined to build a more modern, skilled and dynamic Ansar-VDP.

He expressed hope that the force would become a stronger and more people-oriented institution by upholding discipline, professionalism, accountability, integrity and public service.