The Central Government has announced raising of 12 additional battalions of paramilitary forces, mostly for Assam Rifles, to combat growing insurgency in the North-East to fill the void created by shifting of some Army formations.

Along with five additional battalions of Assam Rifles, the Government is also raising three more battalions the Border Security Force (BSF) and two additional battalions of the Central Researve Police Force (CRPF) at a cost of s 265 crore, officials said.

The raising of these battalions is part of an ambitious Rs 4,000 crore modernisation and improvement of fire-power of these forces to meet internal security demands in North East and Jammu and Kashmir, they said. Besides these, the officials said the government would also raise five battalions of the India Researve Force, specially for counter insurgency operations.

The five-year perspective plan for modernisation of the para-military forces would include equipping them with light weight assault rifles, providing them with 120 mm mortar and equipment like multi-purpose machine guns and improving their communication system to make them more effective.

The sources said top most priority would be given to raising of Assam Rifles battalions in view of increased disturbances in State like Nagaland, Assam, Manipur and Tripura.

The situation in these areas deteriorated after the Army moved out its crack counter-insurgeny Eighth Mountain Division from Nagaland to Jammu and Kashmir initially for anti-terrorist operations in Kupwara and later to confront Pakistani aggression in Kargil sector.

With the addition of these five battalions, the strength of Assam Rifles, a force raised during British regime, would go upto 35 battalions.

Meanwhile, the Army has also raised Nemo force to fill the security gap created by shifting of its prime counter insurgency division.

Officials said that of the five Indian Reserve Battalions, two would be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, one in Tripura and one each in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. They said an inter-ministerial group had also been set up to assess the futuristic requirement of para-military forces.

The five-year perspective plan for modernisation of weapons and equipments would be implemented in a phased manner beginning this year, the sources added.