Indo-Tibetan Border Police director general S S Deswal said that the force is putting together the manpower for the facility that was first operationalised in June-July last year when COVID-19 cases in Delhi were witnessing a steep rise.
Sources in the security establishment said the force is also set to get sanctions from the Union Home ministry to raise at least nine fresh battalions soon. They said in order to bolster troop numbers along the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, as many as 60 companies have been ordered to move towards the front in various areas like Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
The border guarding force is also moving its mechanised column assets like SUVs, all-terrain vehicles, snow scooters and trucks to forward locations in the midst of the projected increase in the number of troops at border units and fresh directives to undertake 'additional' patrols.
A cloudburst in the high altitude villages of Dharali in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand led to flash floods, causing damage to houses and sweeping away structures. Several people are feared buried under debris.
The paramilitary force on Tuesday night had issued a statement and said that "almost all patients are in need of uninterrupted oxygen."
The ITBP guards the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control between India and China, along with the Indian Army.
Forty-one Border Road Organisation labourers working to clear snow near the high altitude border village of Mana in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district were trapped under an avalanche on Friday.
An Air India flight was sent to Wuhan on Friday to bring back the Indian students stuck in Hubei province, the epicentre of coronavirus.
An ITBP constable, identified as Masudul Rahman, opened fire from his service weapon, killing four troopers at the spot and injuring three other jawans, after some unknown dispute among them.
Having the ITBP and the Army at the same operational location will resolve these issues as well, the sources said.
While seven-year-old Thunderbolt is part of the Animal Transport unit of the force, 'lifeline' of the force at high-altitude forward posts, three-year-old Sophia undertakes special sniffing operations to detect IEDs with her handler in Left Wing extremism hit areas of Chhattisgarh.
The first vote of the country was cast by Deputy Inspector General Sudhakar Natarajan, head of ATS ITBP.
Security forces have apprehended more than a dozen Naxals after a gun-battle which left an Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawan dead in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district. The Naxals, including two of their top operatives, have been apprehended from Pattamwadvi jungle of the district after a five-day-long joint operation by the ITBP and state police which ended on Thursday. ITBP constable Bhoop Singh, who sustained bullet wounds in the attack, succumbed to his injuries later.
The Union Budget 2025-26 on Saturday allocated Rs 2,33,210.68 crore to the Ministry of Home Affairs with the majority of the fund -- Rs 1,60,391.06 crore -- being given to central police forces like Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which are responsible for internal security, border guarding and security of vital installations.
When the internal security situation spirals out of the control of the provincial law and order machinery, the CAPFs can be called in, providing a security buffer before the Army is deployed.
China's military has said it is willing to work with India to find a solution to the border issue, while also pushing for sound and stable defence ties. The statement comes after recent meetings between officials from both countries to normalize relations following a prolonged period of tension.
Workhorse 'Thunderbolt' and female dog 'Sophia' will be awarded the special medals.
The avalanche hit the BRO camp between Mana and Badrinath between 5:30 am and 6 am on Friday, burying the workers inside eight containers and a shed, according to the Army.
There are 176 border posts along the India-China border at present.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawan, who had allegedly killed his superior and injured another colleague by opening fire at the prestigious Indian Administrative Services Academy in Mussoorie two days ago, on Sunday surrendered before police in New Delhi.
As part of a new rotation policy of paramilitary forces' squads at the Republic Day parade, the contingents of two other forces -- the Central Reserve Police Force and Central Industrial Security Force -- have been taken out of the event this time, officials said.
There were three people on board the helicopter apart from the pilot. They are all safe and waiting for the weather to clear up to return to Munsiyari, the DM said.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police on Sunday night rescued 15 foreign tourists and 150 villagers from various parts of north Sikkim, which was badly affected in this evening's earthquake.
Personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police could be brought in to guard arrested terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab in jail, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
The Manali-Leh National Highway-3 was blocked after heavy rainfall triggered landslide in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Friday.
Naxalites on Friday triggered a landmine blast, killing three Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawans in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district.
The bodies of the last four of the trapped labourers were pulled out from the site of the avalanche-hit Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in Chamoli on Sunday, taking the death toll to eight as authorities ended the nearly 60-hour rescue operation.
India and China have held their first diplomatic talks since withdrawing troops from two face-off points in eastern Ladakh, reflecting on the lessons learned from the border row to prevent future incidents. The two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas, prepare for the next meeting of Special Representatives on the boundary question, and highlighted the importance of regular exchanges and contacts at diplomatic and military levels. The talks come after the completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points, following an agreement finalized in October 2022.
Four white-coloured SUVs, two Toyota Fortuner and as many Ford Endeavour, with a price tag of around Rs 25 lakh each, have been deployed by the border guarding force at some of its forward locations.
The landmark move comes days after the government approved women fighter pilots for the Indian Air Force.
Following the audacious attack in Kabul on places frequented by Indians, the government on Friday decided to send 40 additional Indo-Tibetan Border Police commandos to secure its people and installations in the war-hit country. The ITBP commandos will leave for the neighbouring country on Saturday. Sources said while some would be deployed in the Indian missions, a few others would be stationed in guest houses frequently used by Indians involved in development work.
With increased security threat on Indian assets in Afghanistan, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police will dispatch a fresh contingent of its troops to the war-torn country next week to augment the security of key Indian assets."A batch of officers and personnel will leave for Kabul in the next ten days to augment our strength," Director General of ITBP Vikram Srivastava told PTI.
The Maharashtra government has received a bill of Rs 10 crore from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police towards reimbursing expenses on guarding 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab, lodged in the Arthur Road jail.
Polling in 70 constituencies began at 8 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in nine polling booths in the Maoist-affected Bindranawagarh seat in Gariaband district, where voting began at 7 for security reasons, a poll official said.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, deployed along the country's border with China, on Tuesday announced the formation of its water wing to man lakes, rivers and hot springs in the Himalayan region. The water wing will help the border force man the Pangong Lake, whose one-third portion is in north of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, Indus River and some of the hot springs and rivers in northeast. This was announced by Director General of ITBP R K Bhatia.
Three battalions of the Border Security Force comprising more than 3,000 personnel will move across the border from Odisha to Chhattisgarh and an equal number of Indo-Tibetan Border Police units will further move into the Naxal stronghold of Abujhmad as part of a strategy to intensify anti-Maoist operations in their last bastions, official sources said.
The jawans are feared trapped under 12 to 14 feet of snow at the Saunthin post in the alpine region of Chamba district bordering Jammu and Kashmir.
The move bears significance in view of the increased Chinese activities along the border and transgressions by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).
The interim budget 2024-25 on Thursday allocated Rs 202868.70 crore to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with the highest share of funds going to the paramilitary forces like Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Secular Force (CISF), showing priority on internal security and border guarding.
