The government is considering clubbing all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) into one Indian Central Armed Police Service (ICAPS). The objective is to recruit officers for the forces through the UPSC, say reports.
At a meeting, the government decided to recruit officers for the central police forces through the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment of officers for IAS, IPS, IRS and other services. The CAPFs include the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Border Security Force (BSF), the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
Sources in the government said the change of name from CAPF to ICAPS would reflect a change in the status of the central police forces, bringing them on par with the other civil services. The proposal comes after the Supreme Court accorded the central police forces the Organised Group ‘A’ Status (OGAS) last year.
The recommendation was made in December 2019 when a committee headed by the Border Management Secretary of the Home Ministry met to discuss a 2017 UPSC proposal, which had suggested making changes to the CAPF (Assistant Commandant) Examination, through which the central police officers are recruited. The exam has not been reviewed since 2003.
However, in addition to revising the syllabus and pattern of the central police forces exam, the committee made a range of recommendations including combining its exam with the existing civil services exam. “As the GoI has declared the CAPF as OGAS, the recruitment can be made part of Civil Service Examination (Allied Service),” read the minutes of the meeting, accessed by ThePrint. “This will ensure uniformity and a yearly session among all CAPFs.”
