Indo-Tibetan Border Police

About Indo-Tibetan Border Police:

• It is one of the Central Armed Police Forces of India.
• The ITBP is responsible for guarding the India-China border, stretching over 3,488 km from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Apart from this, the Force also has important roles in many internal security duties and operations against Left Wing Extremism in the state of Chhattisgarh.
• ITBP also conducts relief and rescue operations as 'First Responders' for natural calamities in the Himalayan region.
• History:
  • It was raised in 1962 in the wake of the Sino-Indian War of 1962 for deployment along India's border with China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
  • ITBP was initially raised under the CRPF Act. However, in 1992, parliament enacted the ITBPF Act and the rules there under were framed in 1994.
  • In 2004, ITBP was declared as a full-fledged central armed police force under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Motto of the Force: “Shaurya-Dridhata-Karma Nishtha” (Valour – Determination – Devotion to Duty).
• Parent ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs.
• It is headed by a Director General under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Most of the ITBP’s Border Out Posts (BOPs) are located at altitudes ranging from 9,000 ft to 18,800 ft where temperatures drop to minus 45 degrees Celsius in extreme winters.
• ITBP personnel undergo rigorous training in high-altitude warfare and mountaineering to operate effectively in challenging terrains.

Q1) What is Line of Actual Control (LAC)?

The LAC is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. It is divided into three sectors: the eastern sector which spans Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the middle sector in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the western sector in Ladakh. LAC is currently the de-facto border between the two countries, and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is in progress.

Source: ITBP to set up more border outposts, deploy newly recruited troops in Arunachal Pradesh sector of Chinese frontier