ITBP - DEFENCE AND SECURITY

News: Cabinet Committee clears new ITBP battalions 

 

What's in the news?

       Endeavouring to bolster the social and security framework along the China border, the Union Cabinet approved raising seven new battalions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with an outlay of Rs 4,800 crore under the Vibrant Villages Programme to stop migration and boost tourism in villages along the border.

 

Key takeaways:

       The Cabinet decision was taken keeping an eye on the need for effective monitoring in the border areas.

       It also added that the battalions and the sector headquarters would be raised by 2025-26.

       This would entail recruitment of 9,400 personnel for deployment in Arunachal Pradesh where 47 new border outposts and 12 staging camps are under construction.

 

ITBP:

       The ITBP is one of the seven Central armed forces that was raised on October 24, 1962 under the CRPF Act.

       In 1992, parliament enacted the ITBPF Act and the rules were framed in 1994.

 

Administrative Control: Ministry of Home Affairs.

 

Motto:

       The motto of the Force: “Shaurya-Dridhata-Karma Nishtha” (Valour – Determination – Devotion to Duty).

 

Organization:

       The ITBP is headed by a Director-General (DG) who is assisted by various other senior officers.

       The force is organized into several sectors, each headed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG).

       Each sector is further divided into several battalions, each headed by a Commandant.

 

Role:

       ITBP is India’s primary border patrol organization for its border with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. (3,488 km-long India-China border)

       It is also deployed for Anti Naxal Operations and other internal security duties.

       Moreover, ITBP personnel have also been deployed abroad in UN peacekeeping missions.

       The force is also deployed for disaster management and relief operations in the Himalayan region.

 

Go back to basics:

Other Central Armed Police Forces in India:

Assam Rifles:

       It was established in 1835, the oldest of all paramilitary forces, and plays a crucial role in North East India, handling counter-insurgency and border security operations.

 

Border Security Force:

       It is the border guard of the country and is called the ‘India’s First Line of Defence’.

       They guard India-Pakistan borders.

 

Central Industrial Security Force:

       It was established in 1969, under an Act of Parliament, “Central Industrial Security Force Act, 1968.”

       It provides integrated security cover to the PSUs, airports, SEZs, nuclear installations, space establishments, seaports, power plants, sensitive Government buildings, and heritage monuments.

       CISF is also responsible to provide protection to the persons classified as Z Plus, Z, X, Y.

 

Central Reserve Police Force:

       It was established by the enactment of the CRPF Act in 1949.

       The primary mission of the Central Reserve Police Force is counter-insurgency operations.

       It also assists the State and Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order.

       Apart from this, the force participates as a police force in the UN peace-keeping missions.

 

Sashastra Seema Bal:

       They guard Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan Borders.

       They are also deployed during elections as polling booth security.