CHANDIGARH: Amid the ongoing face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces in Arunachal Pradesh had brought the focus once again on the shortage of Manpower in security forces and need to fill the vacant posts in including Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The issue has raised the question over the ability to respond to seciurity challenges.
According to official data of the ministry of home affairs, out of 1,05,136 sanctioned posts, ITBP has a strength of 92,803 personnel which guards India’s sensitive borders with China. More than 12,333 posts lying vacant, In percentage wise, if vacancies are compared against the present strength of ITBP, then it comes to 13.2 per cent.
Last week on October 22 while addressing ITBP personnel at an official function at Alwar in Rajasthan, Director General of ITBP Shatrujeet Kapoor had said that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces in Arunachal Pradesh are still ongoing, and had lauded the force Shaurya Commando teams for performing exceptionally well during the confrontations.
"Recently, a situation arose in Arunachal Pradesh where a face-off occurred at several places, which is still ongoing. There, our Shaurya Commando teams have done a tremendous job," he had said.
Also there is shortage of personnel in the Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the western frontiers with Pakistan and eastern frontiers with Bangladesh against the sanctioned strength of 2,71,877 personnel it’s current strength is only 2,57,346 personnel as shortfall of 14,531 vacant posts, thus in percentage terms it comes to 3.8 per cent.
While in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) the present strength is 3,03,418 while the sanctioned strength is 3,30,818 personnel thus 27,400 posts are vacant as this force in the Central Armed Police Force (CRPF), the largest among the paramilitary, which has its primary responsibility of ensuring internal security and assisting state police forces in maintaining law and order, interestingly second highest number of vacant posts after BSF.
The total vacancies in all the five paramilitary forces as well as Assam Rifles stands at 93,139 while their combined strength is 9,69,645 and their combined sanctioned strength is 10,72,692.
While the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) which guards the Nepal and Bhutan border had 6,784 vacant posts against sanctioned strength of 1,00,549 personnel. Also Assam Rifles which guards India-Myanmar border and deals in counter-insurgency has a shortfall of 3,749 personnel against the strength of 65,540.
Sources said that filling up of vacancies is a continuous process and the home ministry takes earnest steps to fill up the vacancies expeditiously through UPSC, SSC and the forces concerned.
The paramilitary forces are posted in the country’s internal security, law and order problems, guarding the country’s borders and are also engaged during special security assignments such as the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. Each force is given a separate task during such assignment.
