Ramasundaram to hold addnl charge of civil defence, HG

IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram, the country's first woman paramilitary Director General, has been entrusted with additional charge of heading the central Civil Defence and Home Guards establishment.
According to a Union Home Ministry statement, the 1980-batch Tamil Nadu-cadre officer, who took over as Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) chief recently, will "hold the additional charge of the post of Director General, Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards (FSCD and HG) with immediate effect and till the appointment and joining of successor".
The post was being held in an additional capacity by Ramasundaram's predecessor in SSB B D Sharma who retired on January 31.

Ramasundaram took over as SSB DG on February 3, becoming the first woman to head a central paramilitary force.
There are five paramilitary forces in the country, also called the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) -- Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force and SSB.
The FSCD and HG directorate has been created by bringing together volunteers and uniformed personnel under one umbrella to render relief and rescue services during a man-made or natural disaster.
Till a few years ago, the wing used to be part of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) but they were bifurcated for better administrative and operational control.