56th Raising Day : Border Security Force (BSF) 2020 | UPSC
HEADLINES:
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai took the salute of the Border Security Force Raising Day Parade-2020
WHY IN NEWS:
- MoS (Home) said brave personnel of BSF are protecting the borders of the country with full vigour despite tough terrain and adverse conditions
- Lauding the women contingent participating in the parade, Shri Rai said it is reassuring to see increasing participation of women power in the security of the country
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Defence : BSF
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS got through the motto , objectives of BSF and the organisation . Do not forget the ministry .
For MAINS can you recollect 10 points to modernise BSF ? Let us dive in !
ISSUE:
56TH RAISING DAY : BORDER SECURITY FORCE (BSF)
- The Border Security Force (BSF) is celebrating its 56thRaising Day .
SOURCES : PIB
- The Minister of State paid homage to the immortal border guards at the martyrs memorial of BSF.
- Shri Nityanand Rai also released the BSF’s annual e-magazine “Borderman“.
BORDER SECURITY FORCE
- During peacetime BSF is charged with preventing transnational crime.
MOTTO
HEADQUARTERS
- The Border Security Force has its headquarters at New Delhi.
- It is also known as Force Headquarters (FHQ) headed by a Director General.
OBJECTIVE
DURING PEACETIME
- Border Guard and security.
- Prevention trans-border crimes, unauthorized entry into or exit from the territory of India.
- Prevention of smuggling and any other illegal activities on the Border.
- Anti-infiltration duties.
- Collection trans-border intelligence.
- To promote a sense of security among the people living in the border areas.
DURING WAR TIME
- Holding ground in assigned sectors.
- Limited aggressive action against irregular forces of the enemy.
- Maintenance of Law and Order in enemy territory administered under the Army’s control.
- Acting as guides to the Army in border areas.
- Assistance in control of refugees.
- Provision of escorts.
- Performing special tasks connected with intelligence including cross-border raids
ORGANISATION
- All these specialized wings support the Infantry Battalions in their operations.
- The Financial Adviser of the BSF has been an Indian Revenue Service officer of the rank of Joint Secretary .
- BSF also has Dy Advisers from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Indian Civil Account Service and Indian Defence Account Service.
- The BSF also has a national level school for breeding and training of dogs.
- The BSF maintains a Tear Smoke Unit (TSU), which is unique in India.
- The TSU is responsible for producing tear gas munitions required for the Anti-Riot Forces like the RAF.
BSF AND NDRF
- Three battalions of the BSF, located at Kolkata, Guwahati, and Patna, are designated as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
- Each battalion maintains 18 self-contained specialist search and rescue teams of 45 personnel each.
- This includes engineers, technicians, electricians, dog squads and medics and paramedics.
- The establishment of each battalion is 1,158 personnel.
- These battalions are equipped and trained for all natural disasters including combating Chemical, Biological Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) disasters.
BACKGROUND
- Since independence, the protection of India’s international boundaries was the responsibility of local police belonging to each border state.
- It was supported from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other inter-state authorities.
- However, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistan attacked Sardar Post, Chhar Bet, and Beria Bet on 9 April 1965 in Kutch.
- So after the end of the war, the government created the Border Security Force as a unified central agency.
- This act brought greater cohesion in border security.
- K F Rustamji, from the Indian Police Service, was the first Director General of BSF.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- In 1990s, the BSF was given the task in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in Jammu And Kashmir, Punjab, and in the Seven Sister States.
- In 1989, the BSF handover the Counter Insurgency Operations to CRPF and Punjab Police .
SOURCES: PIB | 56th Raising Day : Border Security Force (BSF) 2020 | UPSC

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