Various Security Forces And Agencies And Their Mandate

Introduction

Various security forces and agencies and their mandate is an important topic in  GS Paper 3 in UPSC Civil Services Mains examination. There are two major topics that all the UPSC aspirants need to focus on from this section firstly various security forces and agencies and secondly their mandate. Indian security forces face many internal and external threats.And the various specialized forces of India have to deal with these threats.

Security Forces

1. Central Armed Police Force

2. Indian Armed Force

Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)

1. Border Security Force (BSF)
2. Assam Rifles (AR)
3. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
4. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
5. National Security Guard (NSG)
6. Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
7. Sashastra Seema  Bal (SSB)

India Armed Forces

The different armed forces of the Union of India are having separate mandates handled by different ministries.Defence Ministry with the help of the Ministry of Home Affairs handles the majority of external security threats in India.

Indian armed force is divided into four sub-heads:

1. Indian Air Force 
2. Indian Army
3. Indian Coast Guard 
4. Indian Navy 

The mandate of different agencies and security forces

The important responsibilities of The Ministry of Home Affairs includes management of paramilitary forces, internal security, administration of Union Territories, Centre- State relations and disaster management etc.

Article 355 of the Constitution of India stated that  the Union will protect every State  against internal disturbance and external aggression and ensure that the  Government of each State is carried on in association with the provisions of the Constitution.

Key Terms and Facts:

• Borders are connected with external danger, whilst political and ideological grounds such as Left Wing Extremism (LWE) are related to  internal threat.
• The country’s internal security issues may be widely classified as follows:
• In the country’s hinterland, there is terrorism
• In specific locations, there is left-wing extremism
• The security conditions in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir
• The North-Eastern States are experiencing insurgency
• Maintaining internal security is the duty of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• However, since the structure of the insurgency in these particular places is distinct, the characteristics of the various forces involved in these operations are notably different. For example, the security threat presented by Naxalite rebel organizations in Central India is considerably different from the scenario in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast

Important Facts of Central Armed Police Forces:

• The Central Reserve Police Force is primarily responsible for defending the national interest against internal threats
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) oversees seven central police units that assist in maintaining internal security and maintaining law and order
• The BSF, ITBP, AR, and SSB are ‘Border Guarding Forces,’ whilst the CRPF is assigned to assist the Civil Administration under the State Governments / UT Administrations in maintaining the internal security, Public Order, and counter-insurgency
• Border Security Force (BSF) – Bangladesh and Pakistan borders 
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) – China border
• Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) – Nepal and Bhutan borders
• Assam Rifles – Indo-Myanmar border
• Furthermore, the National Security Guard (NSG) is a specialist strike force focusing on counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking operations.

Important Facts related to RAW 

RAW stands for Research and Analysis Wing of India and IB stands for Intelligence Bureau. RAW is directly under the Prime Minister’s Office and IB is under the Home Ministry. RAW’s biggest success was in 1984, when RAW informed that the operation of Pakistan Ababeel is planning for capturing Siachen’s  Saltoro ridge.The external intelligence tasks related to counter terrorism are always looks after by RAW. And IB looks after the border areas and the country.

• RAW always looks after the tasks related to counter terrorism and external intelligence. One of the chief functions of RAW is covert operations
• They are also responsible for contributing foreign policy making of the country
•  The IB also looks after external intelligence till the Analysis Wing of India and the formation of Research

Important Facts related to IB

Intelligence Bureau (IB) is a reputed intelligence agency in India. IB comes under the authority of the Ministry of Home affairs. They usually worked with other law enforcement organizations and Indian intelligence, for example RAW.They are also in partnership with foreign security agencies including U.S, U.K and Israel.Importance of IB are the following:

• They undertake security related tasks assigned to them by the supervisor
• They deal with emergencies in an orderly manner
• They are responsible for maintaining all the records
• To deliver information, they need to visit other office locations

Important Facts related to Assam Rifles:

• Assam Rifles were established in 1835
• These forces play an important role in NorthEast India handling border security operations and counterinsurgency 
• Since 2002, they have also been guarding the Indo-Myanmar border, which is 1643 km long

Important Facts of Central Reserve Police Force:

• The Central Reserve Police Force was established in 1949
• The primary focus of CRPF is to counter-insurgency operations
• CRPF also assists the Union and State territories in police operations to maintain law and order

Conclusion

Various security forces and agencies sections are covered under the current affairs section and it is one of the easiest sections to prepare. The different security forces of the Union of India are having separate mandates and they are handled by different ministries.The majority of security forces and agencies are managed by the Ministry of Defense taking help from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The important responsibilities of The Ministry of Home Affairs includes management of paramilitary forces, internal security, administration of Union Territories, Centre- State relations and disaster management etc.