The revelation last week by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapoor that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces are still ongoing in Arunachal Pradesh marked the first official confirmation of the reported clashes. Meanwhile, the force, which guards India’s sensitive borders with China, has 12,333 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 1,05,136 personnel.According to official data of the ministry of home affairs, out of 1,05,136 sanctioned posts, ITBP has a strength of 92,803 personnel.In other words, there are 12,333 posts lying vacant in the force. Percentage wise, if vacancies are compared against the present strength of ITBP, then it comes to 13.2 per cent.Kapoor last week, while addressing ITBP personnel at an official function in Rajasthan’s Alwar, had said that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces in Arunachal Pradesh are still ongoing, and had lauded the force’s Shaurya Commando teams for performing exceptionally well during the confrontations.”Recently, a situation arose in Arunachal Pradesh where a face-off occurred at several places, which is still ongoing. There, our Shaurya Commando teams have done a tremendous job,” the ITBP chief had said on October 22.Similarly, the Border Security Force (BSF), which guards India’s western frontiers with Pakistan and eastern frontiers with Bangladesh, has 14,531 posts vacant while its current strength is 2,57,346 personnel. The sanctioned strength of BSF is 2,71,877. Percentage wise if vacancies are compared against present strength of the BSF, then it comes to 3.8 per cent.The Central Armed Police Force (CRPF), the largest among the paramilitary, which has its primary responsibility of ensuring internal security and assisting state police forces in maintaining law and order, has the second highest number of vacancies, which stands at 27,400 posts.The present strength of CRPF is 3,03,418 while the sanctioned strength is 3,30,818.The total vacancies in all the five paramilitary forces as well as Assam Rifles stands at 93,139 while their combined strength is 9,69,645 and their combined sanctioned strength is 10,72,692.Official sources on their part say that filling up of vacancies is a continuous process and the home ministry takes earnest steps to fill up the vacancies expeditiously through UPSC, SSC and the forces concerned.