On 27 July 2026, the nation marked CRPF Raising Day — honouring the Central Reserve Police Force, raised on 27 July 1939. The CRPF, India's largest Central Armed Police Force, is the country's premier force for internal security — from law and order to anti-Naxal operations. For an NDA aspirant, the CRPF and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are a high-value defence-and-security topic, reliably examined for which force does what.
The news in one frame
The essentials:
- What: CRPF Raising Day (the CRPF was raised on 27 July 1939).
- Who: the Central Reserve Police Force — India's largest Central Armed Police Force.
- Role: internal security — law and order, counter-insurgency, and anti-Maoist (LWE) operations.
- Ministry: the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
What is the CRPF?
Start with the force. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the premier internal-security force of India. Key facts:
- It was raised in 1939 (as the "Crown Representative Police"), and renamed the Central Reserve Police in 1949 (on the initiative of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel).
- It functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and is the world's largest paramilitary/Central Armed Police Force (~3 lakh+ personnel).
- Its motto is "Seva aur Nishtha" (Service and Loyalty).
- Its role is internal security — assisting states with law and order, counter-insurgency, election duty, VIP security, and anti-Naxal (Left-Wing Extremism) operations, where it has been highly effective.
So the CRPF is the government's main force for keeping internal peace and order. This defence knowledge is exactly what the NDA general-knowledge notes cover.
The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)
The examinable heart is the set of CAPFs — all under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Know each force and its main role:
- CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) — internal security, law and order, anti-Naxal.
- BSF (Border Security Force) — guards the India–Pakistan and India–Bangladesh borders ("First Line of Defence").
- ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) — guards the India–China border (the LAC), high-altitude Himalayas.
- SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) — guards the India–Nepal and India–Bhutan (open) borders.
- CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) — protects industrial units, airports, metros, and critical installations.
- (Assam Rifles guards the India–Myanmar border and does counter-insurgency in the North-East — administered by the MHA but operationally with the Army.)
These are officially called "Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)" (the older term "paramilitary" is informal). Matching each force to its border/role is a classic discriminator. These themes recur in the NDA daily current affairs.
CAPFs vs the Armed Forces
An important distinction the exam likes:
- The Armed Forces — Army, Navy, Air Force — are for external defence (war), under the Ministry of Defence.
- The CAPFs (CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB) are for internal security and border-guarding in peacetime, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- In war, the BSF/ITBP come under the operational control of the Army.
- So: external defence = Armed Forces (Defence Ministry); internal security/borders = CAPFs (Home Ministry).
The revision hook: CRPF = largest CAPF, raised 27 July 1939, under the MHA; role = internal security + anti-Naxal (motto "Seva aur Nishtha"); CAPFs (all under MHA) = CRPF (internal security), BSF (Pak/Bangladesh border), ITBP (China/LAC), SSB (Nepal/Bhutan), CISF (industrial/airport security); Assam Rifles (Myanmar border); Armed Forces (Army/Navy/Air Force) = external defence under the Defence Ministry.
Specialised CRPF units and related forces
A little more depth the exam rewards — the CRPF has famous specialised wings:
- CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) — a specialised jungle-warfare and anti-Naxal commando unit of the CRPF.
- RAF (Rapid Action Force) — CRPF battalions for riot control and communal-tension situations (recognisable by blue camouflage).
- The CRPF also runs a Mahila (women's) battalion — among the first in the world.
Related security bodies worth knowing: the NSG (National Security Guard) — the elite "Black Cats" counter-terror force; the NIA (National Investigation Agency) — investigates terrorism; and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) — drawn from CAPFs for disaster rescue. Also note the difference between "CAPFs" (the modern official term) and the informal word "paramilitary." Knowing these specialised units and sister agencies rounds out a strong internal-security answer.
Why it matters
For the SSB and the bigger picture:
- Internal peace: the CRPF's work against insurgency and Naxalism underpins peace and development in affected regions.
- Nation-building: CAPFs secure borders, elections, airports and industry — the backbone of a stable state.
- Service & sacrifice: their courage in tough conditions embodies duty and "nation first."
Exam relevance in one paragraph
For NDA General Awareness, retain: the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), raised on 27 July 1939 and renamed in 1949 (at Sardar Patel's initiative), is India's largest Central Armed Police Force, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs with the motto "Seva aur Nishtha" (Service and Loyalty); its role is internal security — law and order, counter-insurgency and anti-Naxal (Left-Wing Extremism) operations; the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), all under the MHA, are the CRPF (internal security), BSF (Pakistan/Bangladesh borders), ITBP (China/LAC), SSB (Nepal/Bhutan) and CISF (industrial/airport security), with Assam Rifles guarding the Myanmar border; the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) handle external defence under the Ministry of Defence. For the SSB, the CRPF exemplifies service, courage and internal security.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. The CRPF functions under which ministry? (a) Ministry of Home Affairs (b) Defence (c) External Affairs (d) Finance → (a) — the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Q2. The CRPF was raised in: (a) 1939 (b) 1947 (c) 1962 (d) 2001 → (a) — 27 July 1939.
Q3. The primary role of the CRPF is: (a) internal security (b) guarding the China border (c) protecting airports (d) naval defence → (a) — internal security (law and order, anti-Naxal).
Q4. The CRPF is India's ___ Central Armed Police Force. (a) largest (b) smallest (c) only (d) newest → (a) — the largest.
Q5. Which force guards the India–Pakistan and India–Bangladesh borders? (a) BSF (b) CRPF (c) CISF (d) ITBP → (a) — the Border Security Force.
Q6. The ITBP guards the border with: (a) China (LAC) (b) Pakistan (c) Nepal (d) Myanmar → (a) — China (the LAC).
Q7. The SSB guards the borders with: (a) Nepal and Bhutan (b) Pakistan (c) China (d) Bangladesh → (a) — Nepal and Bhutan.
Q8. Airports and metros are protected by the: (a) CISF (b) BSF (c) CRPF (d) SSB → (a) — the Central Industrial Security Force.
Q9. The Armed Forces (Army/Navy/Air Force) come under which ministry? (a) Defence (b) Home Affairs (c) External Affairs (d) Finance → (a) — the Ministry of Defence.
Q10. The CRPF is especially known for operations against: (a) Left-Wing Extremism (Naxalism) (b) piracy (c) cyber fraud (d) smuggling of gold only → (a) — anti-Naxal/LWE operations.
Q11. The motto of the CRPF is: (a) Seva aur Nishtha (b) Vayam Rakshamah (c) Satyameva Jayate (d) Service Before Self → (a) — "Seva aur Nishtha" (Service and Loyalty).
Q12. The India–Myanmar border and NE counter-insurgency involves the: (a) Assam Rifles (b) CISF (c) BSF (d) Coast Guard → (a) — the Assam Rifles.
Q13. The CRPF was renamed the "Central Reserve Police" (1949) on the initiative of: (a) Sardar Patel (b) Nehru (c) Ambedkar (d) Bose → (a) — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Q14. In wartime, forces like the BSF/ITBP come under the: (a) operational control of the Army (b) Coast Guard (c) UN (d) state police → (a) — the Army.
Q15. The correct division of roles is: (a) Armed Forces = external defence; CAPFs = internal security/borders (b) both do only war (c) both are under Defence (d) CAPFs fight wars abroad → (a) — external (Armed Forces) vs internal (CAPFs).
Q16. The elite "Black Cats" counter-terror force is the: (a) NSG (National Security Guard) (b) CISF (c) SSB (d) NDRF → (a) — the National Security Guard.
Q17. The CRPF's specialised anti-Naxal jungle-warfare commando unit is: (a) CoBRA (b) RAF (c) NSG (d) MARCOS → (a) — CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action).
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Internal-security forces are a high-frequency NDA defence set. The reliable framings are the CRPF (largest CAPF, MHA, internal security/anti-Naxal), force-to-border matching (BSF/ITBP/SSB), CISF (industrial/airport), and CAPFs vs Armed Forces (Home vs Defence Ministry). A common trap says the CRPF guards borders (that's BSF/ITBP/SSB) or puts CAPFs under the Defence Ministry. The fresh 2026 hook is CRPF Raising Day — ideal for "which force / which border / which ministry" items. We reference the pattern, not any exact past question.
Preparing for the NDA? The CAPFs, internal security and the armed forces are high-yield defence GK and strong SSB talking points on service and duty. Follow our daily NDA current affairs and train with serving-officer faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
✍️ Written by Col Vijyanat Thakur — Defence-studies faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk. The Cavalier, founded by ex-Army officers, has trained NDA/CDS/SSB aspirants since 2001 (Facebook · YouTube).
Source: PIB / Ministry of Home Affairs (CRPF), 27 July 2026. Facts cross-verified with independent sources.