Question: The first deployment of the Railway’s commando unit CORAS will be at which of the following States?
(a) Chattisgarh
(b) Maharashtra
(c) Odisha
(d) West Bengal
Answer: (a)
Related facts:
- On August 14, 2019, Minister of Railways and Commerce &Industry, Piyush Goyal launched CORAS (Commando for Railway Security) of Indian Railways and new establishment manual for Railway Protection Force.
- The first deployment of the Railway’s commando unit CORAS will be in the Naxal-hit areas of Chhattisgarh.
- A new state-of-the-art facility will be built in Haryana’s Jagadhari city to train CORAS commandos.
- At the launch of the Commandos for Railway Safety (CORAS), Railway Minister Piyush Goyal approved the setting up of the institute and instructed the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to provide them with training of international standards.
- They will also be deployed in areas where railway has major ongoing projects which need security like northeastern States and Jammu and Kashmir.
- The unit is being envisaged as a responder for any situation pertaining to damage, disturbance, disruption of train operations, attack/hostage/hijack and disaster situations in railway areas.
- Comprising RPF and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) personnel, the CORAS is headed by the RPF DG and is armed with special uniforms with bullet-proof jackets, helmets and sophisticated weapons.
- There are 14 battalions of the RPSF and one of its battalion had been converted into CORAS. The men of CORAS have been trained in the NSG academy and Greyhounds.
- Greyhounds specializes in anti-insurgency operations against Naxalites.
- CORAS commandos will be undergoing training programmes, including basic and advanced commando courses with specialization in handling landmines and improvised explosive devices, hostage rescue, sniping and breaching.
Links:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coras-indian-railways-commando-unit/article29093383.ece https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/piyush-goyal-inducts-first-coras-commandos-in-railways/articleshow/70675687.cms