India maintains 10 paramilitary forces. [1]
From 1986 to 2011 the Central Armed Police Forces were considered as Central Police Organisations (CPOs). [2] However, as per their respective acts they all are Armed Police Forces. [3] [4]
| Rank group | Junior commissioned officers | Other ranks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Assam Rifles [20] |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar Major सूबेदार मेजर | Subedar सूबेदार | Naib Subedar नायब सूबेदार | Warrant officer - | Havildar [note 10] हवलदार | Rifleman [note 11] - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Central Industrial Security Force [14] [15] |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar Major सूबेदार मेजर | Inspector - | Sub inspector - | Assistant Sub inspector - | Head Constable - | Naik नायक | Constable - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Central Reserve Police Force [16] [17] |  |  |  |  | | No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar Major - | Inspector - | Sub-inspector - | Assistant Sub-inspector - | Head Constable - | Constable - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 National Security Guard [18] |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar Major सूबेदार मेजर | Assistant Commander-1 - | Assistant Commander-2 - | Assistant Commander-3 - | Ranger Grade I - | Ranger Grade II - | Combatised tradesmen - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sashastra Seema Bal [19] | | | | | | |  | No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar Major सूबेदार मेजर | Inspector - | Sub inspector - | Assistant Sub inspector - | Head Constable - | Naik नायक | Lance Naik लांस नायक | Constable - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Special Frontier Force | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar Major | Subedar | Naib Subedar | Havildar | Naik | Lance Naik | Sepoy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank group | Junior commissioned officers | Other ranks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation at its borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 "for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for connected matters therewith".
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is an internal security and combat force in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter-insurgency. It is composed of Central Reserve Police Force (Regular) and Central Reserve Police Force (Auxiliary).
The Indian Police Service is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Empire.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a border guarding force of India deployed along its borders with Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces, established in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. Its primary duty involves guarding the Indo-Myanmar border. The AR is one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Army maintains its operational control. As a central police force, its recruitment, perks, promotions, and retirement policies are governed by CAPF rules. Approximately 80 percent of the officers are deputed from the Army, while the remaining are drawn from the AR cadre. The AR is commanded by the Director General of the Assam Rifles, appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Law enforcement in India is imperative to keep justice and order in the nation. Indian law is enforced by a number of agencies. Unlike many federal nations, the constitution of India delegates the maintenance of law and order primarily to the states and territories.
The National Security Guard (NSG), commonly known as Black Cats, is a counter-terrorism unit of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was founded on 16 October 1984, following Operation Blue Star, to combat terrorist activities and protect states against internal disturbances. Formalised in the Parliament of India under the National Security Guard Act, 1986. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces of India.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a federal police organisation in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). CISF provides security to over 356 industrial units, government infrastructure projects and facilities and establishments located all over India. These include atomic power plants, space installations, mines, oil fields and refineries, major ports, heavy engineering, steel plants, barrages, fertiliser units, airports and hydroelectric/thermal power plants owned and controlled by Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and currency note presses.
The Rapid Action Force (RAF), is a specialized rapid reaction wing of the Central Reserve Police Force of India established to deal with riot and crowd control situations.
A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard and rescue service duties.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, or simply the Home Ministry, is a ministry of the Government of India. It is mainly responsible for the maintenance of internal security and domestic policy. It is headed by Minister of Home Affairs.
The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by the Central Armed Police Forces, Indian Coast Guard and Special Frontier Force and various inter-service commands and institutions such as the Strategic Forces Command, the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Integrated Defence Staff. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces but the executive authority and responsibility for national security is vested in the Prime Minister of India and their chosen Cabinet Ministers. The Indian Armed Forces are under the management of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India. With strength of over 1.4 million active personnel, it is the world's second-largest military force and has the world's largest volunteer army. It also has the third-largest defence budget in the world. The Global Firepower Index report lists it as the fourth most-powerful military.
The Sixth Central Pay Commission was convened by the Union Cabinet of India on 5 October 2006. The Pay Commission was headed by B. N. Srikrishna. The other members of the Commission were Ravindra Dholakia, J. S. Mathur, and Member-Secretary Sushama Nath.
Sashastra Seema Bal is a border guarding force of India deployed along its borders with Nepal and Bhutan. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Commandant is a military rank used in many countries, where it is usually equivalent to the rank of major.
In India, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is the collective name of central police organisations under the Ministry of Home Affairs of India. These are technically paramilitary forces formerly known as the Central Para-Military Forces. Since 2011, India adopted the term "central armed police forces" to drop the word "paramilitary". These forces are responsible for internal security and guarding the borders. These forces are indeed headed by a Director General (DG), who is usually an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, except for Assam Rifles, which is headed by an Lt. General-ranked officer from the Indian Army.
In the wake of heavy monsoon rain and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Armed Forces were deployed in increasing numbers starting 2 September 2014 to conduct search, rescue, relief, relocation, humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation missions in Jammu and Kashmir. By 18 September, over 298,514 people were rescued from the various parts of Jammu and Kashmir by the Armed forces. The Jammu and Kashmir floods, the worst in a century according to Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, paralyzed the state government. Omar Abdullah, responding to public criticism, told the media "I had no government" in the first few days following the floods, as "My secretariat, the police headquarters, the control room, fire services, hospitals, all the infrastructure was underwater." Adding "I had no cell phone and no connectivity. I am now starting to track down ministers and officers." The Jammu and Kashmir floods of 2014 have been blamed on heavy rainfall, about 8 inches (200mm) on 4 September alone, on climate change, unplanned and uncontrolled development, encroachment of river banks, lakes, ponds, and massive loss of wet lands, absence of local government flood forecasting system, and poor governance. The Armed Forces humanitarian assistance mission in response to the floods was named Mission Sahayata (assistances). Northern Command's humanitarian assistance to Civil authorities was named 'Operation Megh Rahat'. The Indian Army, Air Force, and the Navy, committed large resources to the assistance mission including over 30,000 troops, 15 engineer task forces, 84 Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corps fixed wing transport aircraft and helicopters, naval commandos and rescue specialists, and Base Hospital, four field hospitals, over 106 medical detachments. "Operation Megh Rahat", ended on 19 September 2014, but "Operation Sadbhavna", the relief and medical assistance support, according to government press release, will continue in "close synergy with the civil administration and the police".
Director General (DG) is the head of the Indian National Security Guard (NSG), the federal contingency deployment force that was created to deal with terrorism in India. The DG is selected by the Home Minister (MHA). In the first thirty-one years since its creation in 1984, the NSG has had twenty-eight DGs, with an average tenure of one year and few months. All the selected DGs have been officers from the Indian Police Service (IPS).
In the Indian Armed Forces women are allowed to join in combat service support branches and in non combatant roles only and they can only become officers except the Corps of Military Police of the Indian Army where women can become sepoys too. The Indian Air Force had 13.09% women in 2018 and 8.50% in women 2014; the Indian Navy had 6% women in 2018 and 3% women in 2014 and the Indian Army had 3.80% women in 2018 and 3% women in 2014. In 2020, three officers had the rank of lieutenant-general or equivalent, all in the Medical Services. In May 2021, 83 women were inducted as sepoys for the first time in the Indian Army, in the Corps of Military Police.
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