One often hears the criticism that there are too many Central Police Organisations (CPOs) also known as Para Military Forces (PMFs) and that they should be wound up. The sterling role played and is being played even today, by the Para Military Forces can not be overstated. They stood as a bulwark against anarchy and disintegration and protected our Republic. Thousands of Para Military personnel have laid down their lives in protecting the territorial integrity and Sovereignty of the Country from forces of disruption. This does not mean that all is well with PMFs. They were created to meet specific threats at a given point of time and their roles kept on changing and they expanded piecemeal. Though their numbers have swelled ,there has been little attempt to systematise Command, Control and Development of these organisations. It is time, that we undertook a ‘Performance Audit’ of these PMFs to put them on a sound footing.

The basic questions the ‘Performance Audit’ should look into are:

• Are the Roles of each PMF clearly defined and are there any overlapping and duplication?
• Are the PMFs organised, structured, manned and equipped to fulfill these Roles?
• Do these PMFs have a well considered and implemented programme of Human Resources Management?
• Is the Tax Payer’s Money well spent by these organisations and can there be economies without sacrificing effectiveness and efficiency?
• Is there scope for abolition, merger and reorganisation of the PMFs for effective Control, Command and efficiency?
• Is it possible to restructure and centralise Training and Welfare functions of these organisations to reap the benefits of economies of scale?

What should be the organisational structure for Policy Formulation and effective governmental control, while allowing the PMFs ‘Operational Autonomy’?

Without attempting an elaborate History of these organisations, it is necessary to keep the following developments in view, while examining this issue. Prior to Independence, British managed serious threats to Law and Order with the help of the Army, which was located in strategic Cantonments to assist the Civil Power. The use of the Army in Jallianwalabagh is one instance. Provinces were asked to look after Law and Order themselves and the Civil Police had the District Armed Reserve and the Special Armed Police Battalions to assist them. After Mopplah Rebellion, Malabar Special Police was established in Madras Presidency and to help the Princely States, Crown Reserve Police was established.

Police Forces of India did well in dealing with the situation in the post-partition problems. When insurgency erupted in the Northeast and the Communist uprising took place in the South, the CRP was expanded and India Reserve Battalions were raised. International Borders were looked after by the respective States, for example, Punjab had the PAP to look after Indo-Pak Border, Uttar Pradesh had Indo-Nepal Border Police, West Bengal had Eastern Frontier Rifles, etc. The oldest Para Military Force in India, The Assam Rifles was being considered, even to day, as a Military Formation, as it is exclusively being officered by the deputationists from the Army. Assam Rifles generally took care of borders in the Northeast.

Chinese Aggression, highlighted the need to intensively police Indo-Tibetan Border and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police was created. When the need to strengthen the Indo-Pak Border was felt, the Border Security Force was established. Similarly, when the need to have a Counter Terrorist Commando Organisation became obvious, the National Security Guards was formed. Similarly to meet the special needs, the CISF, SSB, RPF etc. were created.

All these organisations have predetermined roles and are functioning under specific enactments of Parliament. But the pressures created by the Militancy in Punjab, ‘Proxy War’ in Jammu and Kashmir, ISI activities in other parts of India, Insurgency in the Northeast, LTTE activities in Tamil Nadu, PWG terror in Andhra Pradesh etc. have necessitated the Union Government deploying these PMFs in various roles much to the detriment of their basic functions. Examples are using the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for Bank Security and VIP Security, using the National Security Guards for VIP Security and using CISF for internal security duties. Since these organisations have been raised, equipped and organised to meet the requirement of a particular role, their deployment elsewhere results in many operational, administrative and performance problems. We seem to get satisfaction in saturating a point with PMFs, without bothering about their capabilities to deliver the results in a given situation.

The internal security situation in the next ten years are not likely to improve and perhaps may even worsen. Prudence demands that the Nation should make the best use of its Para Military Forces. An independent ‘Performance Audit‘ by competent professionals covering the questions raised, would enable the Government of India to formulate a ‘Ten Year Plan of Development for the Para Military Forces’. By proper utilisation of resources, restructuring and taking advantage of the economies of scale, the Nation can not only have an efficient and effective Para Military System at an affordable cost, but can manage the internal security effectively. By providing a climate of peace and tranquillity to the people, we can accelerate the economic development of the Nation.

(The author is a former Director General of CRPF and NSG)