A decision in this regard was on Wednesday cleared by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it approved the "conversion of two additional battalions of the border guarding Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for strengthening of the existing National Disaster Response Force units."The NDRF, which is undertaking salvage operations at present in quake-hit Nepal and some affected states of the country, currently has 10 battalions. The two new battalions will be based in Varanasi and Arunachal Pradesh.
"The objective of the conversion of these two additional battalions of SSB into NDRF battalions is to provide response to the area of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh during any natural and man-made disaster and to enhance the capability of the existing NDRF battalions.
"The placement of two NDRF Battalions at Varanasi and Arunachal Pradesh will fill up the vast gap of deployment of the NDRF," an official release said.
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