Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (Ansar-VDP) has entered a new phase of institutional transformation through extensive reforms aimed at making the force more modern, skilled, transparent, accountable and people-friendly.
Speaking at a discussion meeting at the Ansar-VDP Academy in Safipur, Gazipur, marking two years of reform and transformation, Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud highlighted key initiatives undertaken since the July 2024 mass uprising.
He said information on nearly 6 million Ansar-VDP members has now been brought under a centralized database, covering members from village, ward, union and platoon levels. The initiative is expected to strengthen human resource management and improve coordination across the force.
The Director General said digital transformation has also accelerated, with technology increasingly being used for deployment, record management, salary and allowance administration and official activities. An Ansar-VDP job portal has also been introduced to create employment opportunities.
He said plans are underway to integrate an AI-enabled large language model (LLM) into the existing ERP system, potentially connecting nearly 6 million members and creating a major blood-donor and blood-service database. Monitoring and data services at the grassroots level are also being expanded.
Highlighting training reforms, Mahmud said more than 450,000 young members have been trained ahead of the 13th parliamentary election. The training, he said, is designed not only for election and festival duties but also to prepare volunteers for emergencies, disasters and wartime situations.
Training curricula, objectives and methods have been revised over the past two years, while refresher training has been strengthened to improve the professional capabilities of members.
He also highlighted reforms concerning Ansar members deployed to protect key and critical infrastructure. Measures have been taken to improve their training, service conditions, salaries, rations and other entitlements. Reforms concerning the long-standing practice of breaks in service, as well as manpower and management arrangements, are also being implemented. A process is underway to provide gratuity benefits to integrated Ansar members upon completion of their service.
The Director General said Battalion Ansar personnel are continuing joint training with the Bangladesh Army and other forces to strengthen their professional capacity for disaster response and wartime roles.
At the grassroots level, VDP and TDP members are contributing to socioeconomic development through environmental protection, tree plantation, prevention of child marriage, firefighting, agricultural assistance, voluntary work and support for small entrepreneurship.
Initiatives have also been taken to revive grassroots VDP clubs under the *Sanjiban* programme, with greater participation of young people in social awareness, voluntary and public welfare activities.
Mahmud said recruitment has also been made more competitive and transparent. Qualified candidates are being selected through rigorous procedures based on merit, knowledge and competence. Action is being taken against any evidence of corruption, illegal practices or brokerage in recruitment.
He also said new infrastructure is being developed at the academy to strengthen training capacity. Steps are being taken to reinforce organizational structures at the upazila level, expand welfare services at headquarters and improve welfare and management activities for members in the field.
The Director General pledged to continue the reform process to build a more modern, technology-driven, efficient, transparent and accountable Ansar-VDP. He said the force's nearly 6 million members would be utilized more effectively for national security, public welfare and social development.
Additional Director General Brigadier General Mamunur Rashid, Acting Commandant of Ansar-VDP Academy and Deputy Director General Md Saifullah Russell, along with other officials, employees and members, attended the meeting.
