After lying vacant for five months post the retirement of Pankaj Kumar Singh in December 2022, the country's prestigious Border Security Force (BSF) got its new chief on Sunday. The development came after a late-night order by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the Ministry Of Home Affairs proposal of appointing Nitin Agarwal as the new Director General of the BSF. The Border Security Force is the country's premier security agency primarily tasked to guard the 4,096-km-long international border borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh apart from rendering a variety of duties in the internal security domain. The BSF has over 2.65 lakh personnel working in various capacities. CRPF DG Sujoy Lal Thaosen has been holding the additional charge of BSF for the last five months.
Who Is Niting Agarwal?
Nitin Agarwal is a 1989-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Kerala cadre. He is currently posted as the Additional Director General of Operations at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He was promoted to the rank of ADG in 2014 while serving with the ITBP. According to his LinkedIn profile, Agarwal has done B-Tech (1983-1987) and M. Tech (1987-1989) from the IIT Delhi. He likes to play tennis. He has served in various capacities like IG Training at ITBP, IG Sashastra Seema Bal and ADG-Police with Kerala Police. He also served as an Assistant Engineer with the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers during the initial years of his career.
DoPT Appointment Order
The appointment order released late at night reads, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the appointment of Shri Nitin Agarwal, IPS, presently working as Additional DG, CRPF as Director General, Border Security Force (BSF) with pay at Level-16 of the Pay Matrix from the date of joining the post and up to 31.07.2026 i.e. date of his superannuation or till further orders whichever is earlier." This means Agarwa will retire as DG-BSF in 2026 if an extension is not granted.
BSF DG Nitin Agarwal's Salary
Since Agarwal has been elevated to Level-16 of the Pay Matrix as per the new order and is likely to get an enhanced salary in his new role. Under the 7th Pay Commission Pay Matrix, the pay range for Level 16 is Rs 2,05,400 and Rs 2,24,400. This is apart from the perks and various allowances he will receive in the new role. According to the 7th Pay Commission, officers above the pay matrix 14 are entitled to an official vehicle or can receive Transport Allowance at a rate of Rs 15,750 plus DA per month. The officers are also entitled to a Government Bungalow with the necessary security.
India-Bangladesh Talks
The appointment of Nitin Agarwal came amid bi-annual four-day border talks between BSF and its Bangladeshi counterpart Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Delhi. In the absence of a regular DG, Thaosen is heading the BSF delegation in the talks. Agarwal is expected to take charge of the BSF after these talks end on June 14. It is the 53rd edition of the talks and the last such meeting was held in July last year when the BSF delegation travelled to Dhaka. (With agency inputs)
