Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Establishment, Ministry

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Border Roads Organisation Latest News

At least 14 more Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers were recently rescued from an avalanche in Mana, a high-altitude village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.

About Border Roads Organisation

It is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to the Indian Armed Forces.
It works under the Ministry of Defence.
Establishment: It was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India’s borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country.
It develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
- This includes infrastructure operations in 19 states and three union territories (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan, and Sri Lanka.
Over the years, the organisation has diversified into the construction of steel bridges, airfields, townships, tunneling works, and hydroelectric projects.
In order to ensure coordination and expeditious execution of projects, the Government of India set up the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) with the Prime Minister as Chairman of the Board and the Defence Minister as Deputy Chairman.
Officers and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the BRO.
It is also staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers on extra regimental employment (on deputation).
BRO is also included in the Order of Battle of the Armed Forces, ensuring their support at any time.
- The BRO also has an operational role during national emergencies and the outbreak of hostilities, when it provides direct support to the Army in the maintenance of roads in the forward zones and executes other functions specified by the government.
- It also provides the workforce for the rehabilitation of certain forward airfields of the Indian Air Force during operations.
One of BRO’s notable achievements is the Atal Tunnel, which holds the distinction of being the world’s longest highway tunnel at 9.02 kilometers.
Motto of the organization: Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam (everything is achievable through hard work).