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Preparations for over 17,000 recruitments in BSF, 16 new battalions to be formed; Government plans amid tension with Pakistan
BSF protects a total of 6726 km long border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. Out of these, 2290 km is the international border with Pakistan and 339 km long Line of Control, and 4097 km border with Bangladesh. About 1047 km of these two borders are fencing-free due to the river area and dense forest area.
Against the backdrop of preparations for defense in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, the government is shortly going to accord the go-ahead for the Border Security Force (BSF) to create 16 fresh battalions of around 17 thousand soldiers and create a couple of fresh field headquarters.
It is already given in-principle clearance by the government. BSF is mandated for securing the border with Pakistan as well as that with Bangladesh. Official sources have stated that some of the last clearances, including from the Finance Ministry, are awaited for constituting these battalions, which could be issued soon.
Once they receive clearance, BSF will begin recruiting men and women for these battalions, then they will be trained. So five or six years can be estimated for creating these battalions. Currently, BSF operates 193 battalions for defending both the borders, and in one battalion there are over a thousand soldiers.
