SSC
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was formed on:
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Answer: Option A — 7 May 1960
Detailed Solution
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was set up on 7 May 1960 under the government of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Its purpose was to develop road networks in the remote border areas of northern and north-eastern India, to meet the defence needs of the country and to promote economic development in those areas. The need for such roads became especially urgent with growing tensions on the border with China, which led to the war of 1962. 7 May is observed as BRO Raising Day.
The BRO was originally under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, but since 2015, it has been fully under the Ministry of Defence. It is staffed by officers and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) and by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers. Its motto is "Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam" ("Everything is achievable through hard work").
The BRO builds and maintains roads, bridges, tunnels and airfields in some of the most difficult terrain and harshest weather in the world, including high mountains, deserts and dense forests. It has also worked in friendly neighbouring countries such as Bhutan (Project Dantak, since 1961), Myanmar, Afghanistan (the Zaranj-Delaram highway) and Tajikistan.
Important projects built by the BRO include:
- The Atal Tunnel under the Rohtang Pass (2020), the world's longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet.
- The Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh (2024).
- The road to Umling La in Ladakh, at about 19,024 feet, one of the highest motorable roads in the world.
- The Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DS-DBO) road in Ladakh.
- Many bridges, such as the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge approaches and bridges in Jammu and Kashmir.
- The BRO's projects have names such as Project Himank (Ladakh), Project Vartak (Arunachal Pradesh), Project Deepak (Himachal Pradesh) and Project Swastik (Sikkim).
Why not the other options?
15 January 1949 is when K.M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Army Day).
26 January 1950 is when the Constitution came into force.
1 April 1965 is incorrect.
Quick tip
Remember: BRO = 7 May 1960, under the Ministry of Defence since 2015, motto "Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam"; projects: Atal Tunnel, Sela Tunnel, Umling La road; Project Dantak in Bhutan.
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Organisations & Headquarters — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Organisations & Headquarters, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers national and international organisations: the United Nations and its agencies, regional groups such as SAARC, ASEAN and BRICS, global bodies such as the WHO, ILO and UNESCO, and Indian institutions, with their headquarters, founding years, members and heads. Questions typically ask where an organisation is headquartered, when it was founded, or what its full form is. For example, UNESCO is headquartered in Paris and the WHO in Geneva. Membership and leadership change over time, so pair the static facts here with current affairs for recent changes such as new members or new heads. Practise the organisations and headquarters questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.