With growing homeland security concerns, MHA procurements have become crucial

The growing concerns for the homeland security in the recent times not only foresee the challenges that the country is about to face, but also encourages the government to increase the resources manifold in this sector. The demand for modernisation of the police forces and the security equipment has gone up dramatically in the recent times, especially after the terror attacks in Mumbai and New Delhi. 

Some journals estimate the investments into the private security industry to be around USD 12.3 billion while the total estimate that country is planning to spend stands close to USD 30 billion by the year 2016. The major segment of this investment, however, is set to flow into the modernisation of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and a part of it flows to the state polices organisations. Various other sectors like airport security, surveillance projects, integrated security systems etc are also rapidly increasing their footprints in the Indian homeland security matrix.

The ministry of home affairs is now planning to buy and wet-lease helicopters to assist its forces as the entire fleet of Dhruv helicopters has been grounded after several mishaps. “We have authorised wet leasing of helicopters. We are also looking to buy some helicopters. This is a long-term project for which money must be made available”, home minister Chidambaram said while presenting the monthly report card in February. Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force will help the paramilitary and the police forces till the alternative arrangements are made. The new helicopters will be mainly utilised for the anti-Maoist operations, in addition to some non-combatant functions like transporting essential goods, transporting injured personnel, etc. 

Funds amounting to Rs 397.42 crore were sanctioned for the purchase of arms and ammunition and equipment for the CAPFs, states the MHA monthly report. Ammunition and the equipment include hand-held laser range finder, different types of vehicles, SUV mounted communication jammer, Passive Night Vision (PSV) weapon sight etc. The report also allocates funds to procure high-end equipment for the comfort of the policemen such as the jungle shoes, helmets, and the uniforms that suits the operations in extreme weather. 

Recent sanctions by the MHA for the force modernisation, proves the fact that the ministry is indeed very focussed on the internal security concerns. Sanction amounting to Rs 61,98 crore has been given to BSF for procurement of 16,791 Digital VHF/UHF handheld radio sets. Besides, sanction amounting to Rs 2,35 crore was accorded to NSG for 30 km tactical optical fiber cable with terminal equipment. Also, sanction worth Rs 5,12 crore was accorded to ITBP for 22 high altitude shelters and Rs 20,67 crore was also accorded to ITBP for implementation of wide area network (WAN). Sanction was given for creation of 468 posts for the Integrated Intelligence Wing in CRPF. 

Procurement Variables
In the current scenario, the requirement for the modern equipment is huge — ranging from the surveillance equipment for the border guarding roles, to the internal security operations in the most difficult terrains. There is a requirement also for the UAV for some aerial surveillance operations. 

The procurement process for the different central police organisations are need based, and varies depending on the size of the contract. Generally, it is done through the ‘rate contracts’ of the DGS&D (Directorate general supplies and disposal) or the direct tenders by the respective forces if it is under the financial competency of the concerned DG of the CPMF.

Prior to December 2006, procurement of all items which were beyond the financial competency of the concerned DG was done centrally by MHA procurement wing based on the requirement projected by the concerned CPMFs. But after 2006, one of the Central Para Military Force (CPMF) has being made nodal agency by MHA which will initiate the action for the procurement of the items listed under them.

For example, the nodal agency for the procurement of weaponry is NSG. CRPF is the nodal agency for the communication equipment and BSF is for the surveillance equipment. Instances like the procurement of the vehicles etc, where the requirement is common to all the CPMFs, the MHA could make one of the force as the nodal agency (generally the force with the largest user of that vehicle or the force with the maximum requirement) and initiate the procurement process through it.

Nodal agencies will make the QRs (Qualitative Requirements)/ specifications of the security related items that are to be procured as per the MHA directives. These QRs made by the nodal agencies are discussed in the standing technical evaluation committee meetings comprising of different technical experts and invariably headed by a senior ranking officer of CPMFs. One member of the BPR&D/ DRDO is also associated to incorporate their technical opinion. The final draft of the QR is then sent to the MHA for the final approval. MHA then vets/ approves the QRs.

During the procurement process, if ballistic or any other trial (such as in the case of BP vehicles/jackets etc) of the subject item is required, then MHA/respective CPMFs may obtain the views of BPR&D/CFSL to sort-out any kind of confusion relating to the trial procedure. The indenting CPMFs may also request the association of technical representatives of BPR&D/CFSL.

By Dilip Kumar Mekala in forceindia.net

Paramilitary forces are now getting state-of-the-art weapons superior to INSAS and AK series

India’s Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) usually follow the choice of weapon selected by the Indian Army, though this has changed recently with sophisticated and high-tech small arms weapons systems purchased by different organisations. With the INSAS rifles not meeting expectations, paramilitary and police forces have begun importing high-end weapons even before the army has procured them. This has resulted in fragmented purchases of expensive state-of-the-art weapons, which not only require extensive retraining of personnel for their effective usage but are also required to be stored carefully. The National Security Guard (NSG), which is the nodal agency for the procurement of weapons among the CAPFs, has now started acquiring various guns that fit the requirements of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). 

According to director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), Maj. Gen. Dhruv Katoch (retd), “Equipping of a force is an expensive proposition. Ideally, at any one time, over a 30-year cycle, one-third of the inventory needs to be of the latest variety, one-third should be current and one-third should be under process of phasing out. It would not be possible to equip our police forces such as BSF, CRPF and the state armed police with the latest weapons till such time as the field army are equipped first.” He further emphasises, “It must be understood that the CRPF and BSF are police forces and not paramilitary. The Assam Rifles on the other hand is a paramilitary force, which must be equipped after the army’s requirement has been met. Generally, police forces should be equipped with the weapons, which the field army sheds in the process of modernisation. They will, thus, have the same weapons as the major portion of the army as only one-third of the army will have the latest weapons in the manufacturing cycle.” 

The induction of substantial numbers of state-of-the-art weapons by the paramilitary forces brings with it the attendant challenges of training and maintenance. The new small arms being inducted are technologically far superior to the INSAS and AK series, and to make the best of these expensive weapons, time and effort needs to be invested in training the force. This is confirmed by Maj. Gen. Dhruv Katoch (retd), who says, “There is no shortcut to training. Police forces must have basic training in weapon use to include firing of weapons at regular intervals. Assam Rifles has no problem on this count as they are trained on the lines of the Indian Army. Police must develop appropriate leadership to rectify weaknesses in training. As of now, they are managers and not leaders of men. Police academies need to stress weapon training more rigorously. Simulators need to be used to good effect.” 

By Atul Chandra and Dilip Kumar Mekala in Force India

CSD Canteen facilities for working and retired personnel of CAPFs

 CSD Canteen facilities for working and retired personnel of CAPF

Whether the Government has received any request for providing Canteen Store Department (CSD) facilities to the working and retired personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)..!

The Minister of Home Affairs Shri.R.P.N.Singh has replied to the question in a written form in Lok Sabha on 19th March, 2013 as follows…

"Accordingly a proposal to extend the Canteen Stores Department (CSD) facility to the CAPFs personnel, including serving and retired personnel, was duly considered in consultation with the Ministry of Defence, but it could not be agreed to because of the limited resource and infrastructure of the CSD.

On the lines of CSD, the Government has launched a Central Police Canteen System on 18/09/2006 for the CAPFs personnel, including the retired CAPFs personnel and their families. As on date 126 Master Canteens and 1009 unit Central Police Canteens are functioning throughout the country, including Rajasthan. 

Central Armed Police Forces Offer Better Career Avenues

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) offer a better avenue to those seeking careers in police forces in terms of career progression, emoluments, facilities for families and work satisfaction, apart from the opportunity to travel across the country when compared to State police services.

The number of people employed in CAPF is more than the combined strength of defence forces, said former IPS officer and HSC Director C. Anjaneya Reddy.

“Competition is less and hence better the opportunities,” he observed and said that HSC had designed a special course to train aspirants.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Inspector-General (South India) N.R.K. Reddy said the representation of candidates from the State was less in CAPF, and that they should consider it as a career opportunity. “Central forces give better pay and facilities along with assured career progression. The facilities and opportunities in Central forces are unmatched,” he said.

Mr. Reddy added that a single exam was conducted for five main organisations - CRPF, Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). The exam is rather easy, and vacancies are more.

He said the physical parameters could be met by anyone with minimum preparation. CRPF Deputy Inspector-General Khaja Shujanuddin shared his experiences and said that growth was fast0 and time-bound. Now, CAPF personnel are also regarded as ex-servicemen.

M.V. Krishna Rao, former SSB Director-General and Additional DG, CRPF, advised the candidates to take a shot at CAPF as success rate was high. More than 1,000 officers’ posts are filled every year unlike the State Police where the number is in two digits. Those preparing for UPSC tests and State services should explore these opportunities, he said.

Source:  The Hindu November 10, 2013