Govt to Appoint Consultant for Enhancing Operational Capabilities of ITBP, BSF and Assam Rifles

Officials told the ‘New Indian Express’ that the government is looking for a retired defence officer to be inducted on contractual basis at the ‘Level 14’.
The Wire Staff
Feb 13, 2024.

Soldiers of the Indian Army during a
New Delhi: The government is expected to appoint a consultant for ‘building competencies’ in the operational capabilities of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Assam Rifles, the New Indian Express reported.The newspaper reported that the aim of this move is to strengthen the border management system in the northern and eastern frontiers of the country.

Regarding the consultant, officials told the daily that the government is looking for a retired defence officer to be inducted on contractual basis at the “Level 14”.The candidate should have adequate experience in handling the affairs of the border areas, besides handling security related matters and implementation of the policies envisaged for adequate development of the border areas in Ladakh, Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, they added.

He would also coordinate with agencies for implementing development works in border areas, including the centrally sponsored Vibrant Village Programme.The officials told the newspaper that the consultant would be required to carry out capacity needs analysis and mapping of the capacity building interventions, which are specific to the threat perception.

The consultant would also be mandated to conduct a comprehensive need assessment to understand the current and future challenges faced by border guarding forces and to identify stakeholder requirements and expectations, they said.He or she would also examine the ‘gap analysis’ to identify areas where existing competencies fall short of requirements and recommend strategies to plug in this in the border areas.

According to PIB, the government launched the Vibrant Village Programme on February 15, 2023, with a financial outlay of Rs 4,800 crore for the financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26. The programme aims to comprehensively develop select villages in 46 blocks across 19 districts adjacent to the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and the Union Territory of Ladakh.