SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL - SSB

SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL (SSB) - India 

Creation - created in March 1963

Objective -   achieving ‘Total security preparedness’ in the remote border areas for performing a ‘stay-behind’ role in the event of a war.

Why It was Created - 

1. In the wake of the Chinese conflict in 1962, it was felt that the borders of the country could not be protected with the force of rifles alone. 
2. It required the backing and resolute will of a committed border population.
3.  In addition, it needed an in-depth understanding and familiarity of the terrain as well as the culture and ethos of the border population. 
4. A  need was, therefore,  realized for the creation of a unique, unconventional yet specialized organization, which would function in the far, flung, vulnerable, strategic, remote, climatically and topographically difficult border areas and motivate the border population across several states towards the cause of protecting our national sovereignty.
5. SSB was started in North Assam, North Bengal, hill districts of Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand), Himachal Pradesh, part of Punjab and Ladakh area of J&K. 
6. Shri B N Mullik took over as the first founder Director of Special Service Bureau and led the force from the front as the initial years were fraught with apprehensions on the prospects of another Chinese attack.
7.  The magnitude of responsibilities was such that each officer had to be constantly reassured of the value of his work in his own area of responsibility, so as to retain the motivation to continue to work towards the national objective, undeterred by the resistance encountered and the invisibility of the impact of the hard work put in.
8. Later, the jurisdiction of SSB was extended to Manipur, Tripura and Jammu (1965), Meghalaya (1975), Sikkim (1976), Rajasthan (1985), South Bengal, Nagaland and Mizoram (1989). Its area of coverage included 15 states. SSB in the erstwhile role was covering a population of more than 5.73 crores living in about 80,000 villages and about 9917 Kms of India’s international borders. 

ROLE of SSB - 

1. Safeguard the security of assigned border of India and promote sense of security among the people living in the border areas.
2. Prevent trans-border crimes, smuggling and any other illegal activities.
3. Prevent unauthorized entry into or exit from the territory of India.
4. Carry out civic action programme in the area of responsibility.
5. Perform any other duty assigned by the Central Government.(SSB is being deployed for Law & Order, Counter Insurgency Operations and Election duty)

More About  SSB - 

• Since 1963, the main thrust of the SSB was on generating a sense of national belonging, security and vigilance. 
• Village Level Training Programmes and Refresher Training Courses in civil defence were started to train villagers to defend their own villages and if the situation demanded, to participate in a ‘stay behind role’ for the nation. 
• Villagers were trained in the use of small arms and the art of self defence to develop a spirit of resistance. 
• In early 1970s we also started National Integration Programmes in a big way. 
• All these bore fruit slowly but surely. However, the rifle training was a big draw and brought lakh of people into our fold.
•  The trained volunteers became the eyes and ears of SSB, on the border and could be drawn on whenever required. As a result the number of Chinese intelligencers prodding our border reduced considerably.