Revision as of 13:52, 12 April 2017

The armed forces of India are supported by three paramilitary forces

Assam Rifles,

Indian Coast Guard and

Special Frontier Force (SFF).

The Central Para-military Forces (CPMFs): India come under the Ministry of Defence.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF): India are

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ,

Border Security Force: India

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

National Security Guard (NSG)

All CAPFs come under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Sometimes even leading publications confuse the two categories.

Martyr status

How well do you know India's paramilitary forces and their roles? | Edited by Sanjana Agnihotri, citing Factly |New Delhi, March 23, 2016 | India Today

It was only in November 2015 that the Home Ministry gave approval to give the status of martyr to personnel from [CAPFs] who die in the line of duty.

Even the 7th Central Pay Commission batted for granting martyr status to personnel of [CAPFs], on the lines of armed forces.

In a recommendation to the government the commission said, "the Commission is of the view that in case of death in the line of duty, the force personnel of Central Armed Police Forces should be accorded martyr status, at par with the defence forces personnel".

The CAPFs

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

CISF's job is provide security to Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). Currently they provide security cover to 300 industrial units.

Even the currency note presses producing Indian currency are protected by CISF. It is the largest industrial security force in the world and has 165,000 personnel.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

The CRPF looks after the internal security of every part of India.

Countering naxal operations, assisting the State and Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and helping with the UN peace-keeping missions also comes under CRPF's task list.

The CRPF guarded the India-Pakistan Border until 1965, after which the BSF was created. In 2001 Parliament attack too, it was the CRPF troops that killed the five terrorists who entered the premises.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

The ITBP was established after the 1962 Indo-China war, under the CRPF Act. It vigils the northern borders, detects and prevents every border violations and helps the locals feel secure.

The force also keeps a check on illegal immigration and trans-border smuggling. They guard the Indo-Tiber border and the mountainous regions of the Indo-China border.

The ITBP is also trained in disaster management and have been deployed in UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Western Sahara, Sudan, and Afghanistan.

National Security Guard (NSG)

The formation of NSG was a consequence of the assassination of Indira Gandhi and Operation Blue Star. It was raised to combat terrorist activities and to ensure the states do not witness any internal disturbances.

They are often referred as Black Cats because of their uniform which consists of a black dress and black cat insignia.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

Established in 1963, the SSB guard the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders.

It was only in 2014 that the government approved the recruitment of women as combat officers in SSB.

Formerly known as the Special Service Bureau, their job is to control anti-national activities and inculcate feelings of national belonging in the border population among others.

Training

Officers

The Times of India, Aug 22 2016

Manpower, Central Paramilitary Forces and Armed Forces; The Times of India, January 14, 2017

Bharti Jain

Centre mulls pooling training facilities for paramilitary forces 

Concerned at underutilisation of training facilities individually maintained by central armed police forces (CAPF), like the CRPF and BSF, due to erratic intake of officers over the years, the home ministry is mulling pooling these resources to allow multi-organisation use. At present, each CAPF takes care of its own training needs. While CRPF runs its officer training facility at Mount Abu, BSF has its facility at Tekanpur, ITBP in Mussoorie, CISF in Hyderabad, and SSB in Srinagar and Uttarakhand.

Specialised training in jungle warfare and counterinsurgency is also separately handled by each force.CRPF has a National Institute of Jungle Craft in Belgaum, counter-insurgency and anti-terrorist school in Silchar and an IED school in Pune. The BSF Academy is located in Tekanpur and the training school in Hazaribag. SSB has a counter-insurgency and jungle warfare school at Chamoli.

Seeking to cut costs and enable optimum utilisation of training infrastructure, the home ministry is examining if multi-force institutes can be brought under a single training directorate.

A senior home ministry officer said a closer look at the syllabi of basic training courses of various central forces revealed a lot in common. In the 1+52 week basic training for officers, provided by each force, 38 weeks are devoted to creating common soldierly skills. Specific training for the particular force is only for 12 weeks.

Data on intake of officers into various forces between 2008 and 2014 indicate major variations in numbers, irrespective of the capacity of the training institutes. However, the overall variation is less if the combined figure for all CAPFs is taken. The overall intake was 376 in 2008, 680 in 2009, 753 in 2010, 497 in 2011, 401 in 2012, 424 in 2013 and 136 in 2014. However, the intake into CRPF has varied from 326 in 2010 to 28 in 2014, into BSF from 388 in 2009 to 11 in 2011, etc.

“Each basic facility has indoor classes, sand model rooms, IED model rooms and firing ranges, which are similar for each CAPF. However, such facilities remain idle in years when the intake is less,“ an officer said.

The home ministry has suggested combined training at two or three such academies with a capacity of training 500-600 officers.

“Existing facilities with each CAPF can be converted into basic and specific training central institutes like National Academy for Basic Training, Central Institute for Jungle Warfare, Central Institute for Commando Training, etc, without extra financial burden. This will also allow inter-organisational exchange of experiences among trainers and trainees,“ the officer said.

2010-14: Attrition rate

Attrition in paramilitary dropped below 10,000

Deeptiman Tiwary The Times of India Mar 06 2015

Slew of Steps For Anti-Red Forces Stops Resignations

2010-14: The Attrition rate drops

Thanks to a host of measures taken by the government to ease pressure on security forces fighting Maoists and positive expectations from the seventh pay commission, lesser number of men in uniform are hanging up their boots. For the first time in the past five years, the cumulative annual attrition from paramilitary forces has dropped below 10,000.

According to latest home ministry data, in 2014, only 7,700 odd personnel quit various central armed police forces as against over 11,000 in 2013 and 13, 000 in 2012.

Sources say the positive change has come about following various measures taken by the government (both UPA and NDA) to ease the hardship of men fighting in Maoist areas and the borders. What has also contributed to the low attrition are expectations of bet ter remuneration from the seventh pay commission next year. It has led to those planning voluntary retirement holding back their decision.

Past few years have seen heavy attrition from forces due to denial of leave, consistent posting in hard areas, poor working conditions, lack of pay parity and separation from family . Between 2009 and 2012, over 44,000 personnel had quit paramilitary forces either through resignations or by opting for volun tary retirement. During the period, more paramilitary men committed suicide (398) than died fighting terrorists (328). The situation had got the government so alarmed that it hired the services of IIM-Ahmedabad to look into the reasons for such a high churn and suggest remedies.

Attrition from CRPF and BSF which face tough working conditions has dropped significantly .

Injuries, deaths on duty

2014- 2016

13 times more CRPF men hurt in 2016 than in 2014-15, Mar 29, 2017: The Times of India

The government informed Parliament on Tuesday that 2,744 CRPF personnel were injured while dealing with the riots and protests, which was 13 times higher than the last two years. In 2014 and 2015, 271 and 208 CRPF personnel were injured in such incidents , respectively.

In all, 3,436 paramilitary personnel were injured between 2014 and March 21, 2017.

Among the police personnel in 29 states and seven Union Territories, 1,501 police personnel were injured in 2015, 1,349 in 2014 and 1,930 in 2013 respectively .

Officials in CRPF said that major chunk of the injuries to its personnel in 2016 could be attributed to the riots which ensued in Jammu and Kashmir after July , when Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was killed by security forces. CRPF has 70 battalions stationed in J&K for law and order duty and more than 150 companies were sent last year after several districts of the state saw mass protests and stone pelting for almost five months. Officials said that the situation is under control at the moment.

In a reply to the Lok Sabha, Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that government was providing protective gear to the paramilitary forces. CRPF alone has bought protective gear worth Rs 54.48 crore for its personnel in the last three years.

Ahir said that central paramilitary forces have been equipped with tear gas shells, launchers, water canons, chilli grenades, PAVA shells etc to handle the protests effectively .

“Further, protective gear such as full body protector, helmet with visor, lathi and shield, bullet resistant jackets, bullet proof helmets etc have been provided to CAPFs as per their operational requirement.The personnel are also imparted requisite training and regular mock drills to deal with such situations effectively,“ he said. He also said that all paramilitary personnel who die in action are considered martyrs.

Personnel issues

Voluntary retirement scheme

Voluntary retirements/ 2015-16

More and more quitting paramilitary, Feb 8, 2017: The Times of India

The government informed Parliament that there was a rise in the number of applications for voluntary retirement in central paramilitary forces, with BSF and CRPF topping the chart.

The two forces were recently at the centre of a controversy after a BSF jawan posted in Kashmir made videos complaining about “poor-quality food“, and a CRPF jawan posted one seeking parity with Army soldiers.

MoS for home Kiren Rijiju said 151 paramilitary officers had opted for voluntary retirement or resigned in 2016, compared to 117 in 2015. At 1,400, the figure for subordinate officers was almost double -up from 707 in 2015. For other ranks, the figure stood at 7,415 against 3,052 in 2015.



450% rise in 2016-17

Paramilitary VRS up 450%, Rijiju tells RS, Mar 30, 2017: The Times of India

The government informed Parliament that the number of personnel opting for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) in central paramilitary forces rose to around 450% in 2016-17 as compared to the previous year. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju cited personal and domestic reasons, among others, for personnel going for VRS. He, however, said these resignations are “essentially a personal choice“. An up-to-date data provided by the minister stated that 201617 saw the maximum number of personnel (9,065) going for VRS in the last three years from forces like CRPF, BSF, ITBP , CISF, SSB and Assam Rifles.

While in 2014-15, a total of 5,289 personnel of these forces had taken VRS, the figure had come down to 2,105 in 2015-16.

The attrition has been plaguing the almost 10-lakhstrong central paramilitary forces for a long time now.Sources in these forces said while domestic reasons force most of the men to leave, career stagnation, lack of pay parity and tough working conditions also play an important part in such retirements.

Officials say these retirements leave a huge gap in the vacancies in the forces, which are being used for major law and order duties on the border, J&K, Maoist-affected states, elections, VIP security and other purposes.

The maximum cases of VRS in 2016-17 were reported from the Border Security Force (4,274), followed by the Central Reserve Police Force (3,280) and the Central Industrial Security Force (765).

Providing a separate data on the personnel who left these forces by way of resignation, Rijiju stated that a total of 1,187 officials left in 2016-17, 1,840 in 2015-16 and 1,989 in 2014-15.

“The Central Armed Police Force personnel proceed on voluntary retirement and resignation mainly due to personal and domestic reasons, including children and family issues, health or illness of self or family members, social or family obligations and commitments, among others.Some personnel sought voluntary retirement to enjoy a static life as well as pensionary benefits after completing 20 years of service,“ he said.

Women personnel and suicides

The Times of India, Jul 23 2015

Women personnel and suicides, Central Para-military Forces: 2014 ; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Jul 23 2015

Atul Thakur & Deeptiman Tiwary

Women account for 2% of central forces, but 40% of suicides

All cases from MP, Telangana, Bihar and J&K

Women constitute less than 2% of central pa ramilitary personnel but account for over 40% of the suicides in these forces, data collated from National Crime Records Bureau and Bureau of Police Research & Development shows. MP , Telangana, Bihar and J&K accounted for all these suicides. The NCRB data on accidental deaths and suicides shows that in 2014, 175 people in central armed police forces ­ including BSF, CRPF, CISF ­ committed suicide. As many as 73 of them or 41.7% were women. Data from BPRD shows that of nearly 9.3 lakh people employed in these forces, just a little over 18,000 were women compared to over 9.1 lakh men.

The data clearly suggests women face a much higher degree of stress. Sources in the forces said they were surprised at the data and said the pattern had not been studied. What that means is that the suicide rate for women in paramilitary forces is 396.9 per lakh compared to just 11.2 per lakh for men. Incidentally , suicide rates for men in paramilitary forces are actually a little lower than in the general population, where it is about 13.9 per lakh. For women, obviously , the rate is way above the rate in the general population, where it is just 7.1 per lakh.

What makes this gender skew even more shocking is that women personnel are not deployed in combat positions.

CRPF has sent its first batch of women personnel for combat roles in Chhattisgarh as a pilot project, but they have not been part of any operation so far. So the reason cannot be stress associated with duty in conflict situations.

The NCRB data suggests that marital discord is the biggest cause of suicides among central paramilitary personnel. Of the total 45 persons suicides due to this reason, who killed themselves because of marriage-related issues 21 were men while 24 women.

Sources from the forces expressed surprise at the data and said there is no study that has examined the high suicide rates among female personnel.They speculated, however, that a major factor could be that it is generally far more difficult for women to work in these forces. Many of them, they pointed out, join the forces in their twenties, which is around the same time as they get married or have children.

Quotas for women in paramilitary forces: 2016

The Times of India Jan 06 2016

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

33% In CRPF & CISF, 15% In BSF, SSB, ITBP

The government on Tuesday took an impor ant step to improve gender equality in the paramilitary by approving 33% reserva ion for women at the constable rank in two major central paramilitary forces -CRPF and CISF and also setting a 15% quota in the border orces BSF, SSB and ITBP.

These forces together comprise around 9 lakh personnel of whom only around 20,000 are women as of now.

The 33% reservation in constable level posts in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Securi y Force (CISF) and 14-15% posts in Border Security Force BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal SSB) and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will come into ef ect immediately .

The decision was taken by home minister Rajnath Singh after a meeting on Tuesday , said sources. “With a view to enhance representation of women in central armed police forces, Singh has approved 33% posts at constable level for being filled up by women,“ a home ministry statement said. The move came following the recommendation of the committee on empowerment of women in its sixth report, that said there is an urgent need to pro vide due representation to women in paramilitary forces.

The CRPF has about 6,300 women in its ranks. The par liamentary standing committee on home affairs recently found that women personnel constitute only a little over 9% of the Delhi Police force.

“The committee notes that as on date, the representation of women in Delhi Police is 9.27% only . However, on March 20, 2015, Government of India has approved reservation of 33% for women horizontally and in each category (SC, ST, OBC and others) in direct recruitment in non-gazetted posts from constable to sub-inspector in the police forces of all Union Territories,“ the committee observed.