The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was originally set up in:

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was originally set up in March 1963 under the name Special Service Bureau.

Why it was set up:

• After the conflict with China, the government felt the need for a force to build up the morale of people living in remote border areas.
• The idea was to prepare the border population to resist any enemy and to help gather information.

Original role:

• The Special Service Bureau worked among the people in border areas of the North-East, North Bengal, the hills of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
• It promoted a sense of security and national integration among them.
• It trained local people in self-defence and civil defence.

Change of role:

• In 2001, after the Kargil war, the force was given the task of guarding the India-Nepal border, following the "one border, one force" policy.
• It was renamed Sashastra Seema Bal, which means "Armed Border Force".
• In 2004, it was also given the responsibility of guarding the India-Bhutan border.
• It was then shifted from the Cabinet Secretariat to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Role of the SSB today:

• Guarding the open borders with Nepal (about 1,751 km) and Bhutan (about 699 km).
• Preventing trans-border crimes such as smuggling, human trafficking and the movement of terrorists.
• Promoting a sense of security among people living in border areas.
• Carrying out civic action programmes in border villages.

Women personnel:

The SSB was one of the first CAPFs to recruit women as combatants.

Legal basis:

It is governed by the Sashastra Seema Bal Act, 2007.

Control:

• It is under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Its headquarters is in New Delhi.

Motto:

Its motto is "Seva, Suraksha, Bandhutva" (Service, Security, Brotherhood).

Why not the other options?

• ✗1948 and 1971 do not match.
• ✗2001 is when it took over guarding the Nepal border and got its present name.