NEW DELHI: After the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), now it is the turn for the Border Security Force (BSF) to get a cadre boost. The government has cleared a proposal to create nearly 4,000 additional new Group ‘B’ and ‘C’ General Duty (GD) posts in the force.
Sources on Monday said that the government’s approval for the long-pending move was seen as the recognition of the BSF’s expanding and critical role in ensuring national security, particularly after ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Confirming the move, the sources said, a proposal in this regard has been cleared by the Ministry of Finance’s expenditure department, as this would lead to a net addition of nearly 4,000 posts, with a strong focus on increasing supervisory strength and opening up promotion avenues for existing personnel.
Notably, however, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked for around 15,000 posts, out of which the Ministry of Finance agreed to only 4,000, the sources said.
Incidentally, such a decision was taken keeping in view the critical roles played by BSF troopers on the borders during ‘Operation Sindoor’, which was praised even by the commanders of the three armed forces.
Besides, the forces’ commanders, the BSF’s performance had also earned accolades from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and this brought under forcus the BSF’s operational capabilities.
As per the expansion plan, while the number of constables may see a marginal reduction, mid-level ranks like Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors and Assistant Sub-Inspectors are going to benefit from the move, as this would help streamline command structures and reduce supervisory gaps in the field, the sources said.
The MHA is now set for reforming the relevant recruitment and service rules to align them with the approved structure, as with over 2.18 lakh personnel in the organisation, the BSF will now have improved capabilities to meet the demands of border management with emerging challenges.