Young men have always been attracted to a career in the paramilitary forces,” observes Somesh Goyal, Inspector General of the Border Security Force (BSF), South Bengal Frontier. “Partly because of the prestige and honour associated with serving one’s country and partly because it gives them a chance to wear the smart uniform,” he adds on a lighter note.

Paramilitary organisations, which belong to the central government, are defined as “protective services” with the responsibility of maintaining internal security and providing additional support to the national defence services in guarding India’s borders. While the structure, in terms of hierarchy, training, etc, may vary from organisation to organisation, according to senior officials, “the basic discipline and standards of work remain as stringent as that in the defence services, including the army, air force and navy.”

Perhaps at no other time has there been such a demand for people to join these forces as there is now. As B.D. Sharma, Inspector General of Correctional Services, West Bengal — who served in the BSF as Inspector General for five years since 2000 — explains, “Today, there are many more opportunities for those in the paramilitary forces. With the growing concern for domestic security, their services are required in a wide range of areas. They already play anti-terrorist and counter-insurgency roles but they can also be brought in to crush communal disharmony and to maintain the security and integrity of the country in times of discord.” Members of these forces also have the option of serving with the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. The remuneration and perks of UN peacekeepers are very lucrative.

The prominent paramilitary organisations in India include the BSF, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), among others. Each of these has its own unique function.

Another paramilitary outfit, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is deployed along the Indo-Nepal border. The CISF was essentially created to provide security to industrial units and the airports — both domestic and international. The CRPF helps augment the police forces in times of crisis or emergency.

Being accepted in a paramilitary force is not a cakewalk, however. You have to fulfil a list of prerequisites in terms of physical fitness and mental aptitude. While a graduation degree in any stream — whether science or the humanities — is the minimum requirement for someone applying for a post in the officer’s rank, even someone who has just completed Class X or XII can apply for the post of a jawan. There are different requirements in the four distinct levels at which recruitment takes place — jawans, technical personnel (like radio operators), sub-inspectors and finally, officers (the highest rank being assistant commandant).

While for the jawans, meeting the physical fitness criteria of height, weight and chest-size is very important (they also have to appear for a written test on general knowledge), at the officer level there is a full-fledged written exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and an interview. The age limit for applicants is a minimum of 18 years and maximum of 26 years, which is relaxable for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Vacancies are announced regularly in the electronic and print media.

Once you are selected, the training takes place according to the specific paramilitary organisation that you have entered. Obviously, salary structures too vary depending on the rank. The basic starting salary at the officer level is approximately Rs 8,000, though the gross works out to be around Rs 15,000 to Rs 16,000, not including perks such as free ration, travel and medical allowance, etc. For jawans the starting basic salary can be around Rs 3,050, the gross being close to Rs 6,000, excluding uniform, ration allowance, travel and medical allowance.

“The perks and allowances make the paramilitary forces a very lucrative career option,” Goyal observes. And according to B.D. Sharma the “outstanding and exclusive training — from horseback riding to training in the various styles of self-defence — that anyone who joins the paramilitary forces receives makes it a much sought-after profession.”

Which is why, says Goyal, “Each time we recruit, we get thousands of applications for a few hundred posts.” For instance, about 20,000 applicants turned up when a vacancy for 300-400 personnel was advertised for one of the 20 battalions under Goyal (there are more than 157 BSF battalions throughout the nation). Goyal says that even for the 89 posts of tradesmen advertised recently, there were as many as 6,000 applications. Women can also enter the paramilitary services, but the scope for them is limited.

So if you are raring to serve the country, then the paramilitary could be the career of your choice.