New Delhi, May 27: The Assam Rifles will soon have a presence in Jammu and Kashmir as the government has approved conversion and placement of one of its battalions into the NDRF.
A recent order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will have four new battalions that will be based in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the National Capital Region.
The order said the new battalions of the NDRF will be drawn from Assam Rifles (location in J&K), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and the Border Security Force (Delhi-NCR region).
The Assam Rifles draws its strength of officers from the Army and functions under the command of the MHA. The paramilitary force has a strength of 47,000 personnel.“The process of acquiring land and operationalising the new NDRF battalions is now on,” a senior official said.
The Modi government had approved raising of the four new NDRF battalions in August last year in order to strengthen India’s disaster response set-up at an estimated cost of Rs 637 crore.
An NDRF battalion comprises a little over 1,000 personnel. Its battalions are raised from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the parent force is responsible for feeding the ranks and personnel, who are sent on deputation to the NDRF.
The NDRF, that was raised in 2006, has 12 operational battalions at present. — PTI
