UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Why has West Bengal cleared land for the BSF now?

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the distribution of the India-Bangladesh border among Indian States: 1. West Bengal accounts for more than half of the total India-Bangladesh border of 4,096.70 km. 2. Among the States through which this border passes, Tripura has the second longest stretch after West Bengal. 3. Assam has a longer stretch of this border than Meghalaya. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. West Bengal accounts for more than half of the total India-Bangladesh border of 4,096.70 km.
  2. Among the States through which this border passes, Tripura has the second longest stretch after West Bengal.
  3. Assam has a longer stretch of this border than Meghalaya.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Project BOLD-QIT, deployed on the riverine stretch of the India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri where physical fencing was not feasible, was implemented under which one of the following?

  • A. The Border Area Development Programme of the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. The Border Infrastructure and Management scheme of the Ministry of Defence
  • C. The Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System of the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. The Vibrant Villages Programme of the Ministry of Home Affairs

Q3. With how many battalions was the Border Security Force raised in 1965?

  • A. 15
  • B. 20
  • C. 25
  • D. 40

Q4. Which one of the following statements correctly describes the Assam Rifles?

  • A. It is the force designated by the Central Government as the border guarding force for the 661-km India-Bhutan border
  • B. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. It is a State armed police organisation of Assam maintained by the State Government for the north-eastern border districts
  • D. It is a paramilitary formation raised in 1965 and deployed for guarding the entire India-Bangladesh border

Q5. With reference to the Calcutta High Court's January 2026 direction on the transfer of border land to the Border Security Force, consider the following: 1. The proceedings arose out of a public interest litigation filed by a former Deputy Chief of the Army Staff. 2. The direction covered land measuring 127 km that had already been acquired or purchased by the State Government. 3. Compensation for the land so acquired had already been received by the State Government from the Union Government. 4. The Court fixed 30 June 2026 as the outer date for handing over the land to the Border Security Force. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The proceedings arose out of a public interest litigation filed by a former Deputy Chief of the Army Staff.
  2. The direction covered land measuring 127 km that had already been acquired or purchased by the State Government.
  3. Compensation for the land so acquired had already been received by the State Government from the Union Government.
  4. The Court fixed 30 June 2026 as the outer date for handing over the land to the Border Security Force.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Of the already-acquired border land that the Calcutta High Court directed West Bengal to transfer to the Border Security Force by 31 March 2026, approximately what length had actually been handed over when the Court took up compliance in April 2026?

  • A. About 8 km
  • B. About 18 km
  • C. About 27 km
  • D. About 78 km

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding West Bengal's 2026 transfer of land to the Border Security Force for border fencing: 1. The Cabinet decision committed the State to transferring 600 acres, with the process to be completed within 45 days. 2. By the end of May 2026 the cumulative land handed over stood at about 142.79 acres, of which Murshidabad accounted for the largest district-wise share. 3. Among the districts covered by this transfer, Nadia accounted for a larger share of the land handed over than Jalpaiguri. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Cabinet decision committed the State to transferring 600 acres, with the process to be completed within 45 days.
  2. By the end of May 2026 the cumulative land handed over stood at about 142.79 acres, of which Murshidabad accounted for the largest district-wise share.
  3. Among the districts covered by this transfer, Nadia accounted for a larger share of the land handed over than Jalpaiguri.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. In the West Bengal Cabinet decision of May 2026 on land for border fencing, the responsibility for completing the transfer to the Border Security Force within the stipulated 45 days was placed on which one of the following?

  • A. The Eastern Command of the Border Security Force acting through the district magistrates of the border districts
  • B. The Department of Border Management of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which acquires all land required for border fencing
  • C. The State Home and Hill Affairs Department, which alone can sanction transfer of vested land in the State
  • D. The Chief Secretary of the State along with the State's land and land revenue department

Q9. Consider the following statements regarding the status of fencing on the India-Bangladesh border as reported in August 2025: 1. Of West Bengal's unfenced stretch of 569.004 km, about 112.780 km was assessed as non-feasible for conventional fencing. 2. The entire unfenced balance of the India-Bangladesh border lies within West Bengal, the nationally fenced length being 3,232.218 km. 3. In Meghalaya, more than four-fifths of the India-Bangladesh border length has been covered by fence. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Of West Bengal's unfenced stretch of 569.004 km, about 112.780 km was assessed as non-feasible for conventional fencing.
  2. The entire unfenced balance of the India-Bangladesh border lies within West Bengal, the nationally fenced length being 3,232.218 km.
  3. In Meghalaya, more than four-fifths of the India-Bangladesh border length has been covered by fence.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. As of August 2025, of West Bengal's 456.224 km stretch assessed as feasible for fencing but not yet fenced, for approximately what length had the land acquisition process not even been initiated?

  • A. 77.935 km
  • B. 148.971 km
  • C. 181.635 km
  • D. 229.318 km

Q11. Under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, land required urgently for the defence of India or national security may be acquired in which one of the following ways?

  • A. After sixty days from the publication of the notice by the Collector, the Social Impact Assessment nevertheless remaining mandatory
  • B. Only after obtaining the prior consent of seventy per cent of the affected families, the Social Impact Assessment being waived
  • C. After thirty days from the publication of the notice by the Collector, such acquisition being exempt from the Social Impact Assessment
  • D. After thirty days from the publication of the notice by the Collector, subject to fresh Gram Sabha consent in every case

Q12. The acquired border land whose transfer to the Border Security Force was directed by the Calcutta High Court, and which West Bengal began handing over in 2026, was spread over how many districts of the State?

  • A. Five
  • B. Seven
  • C. Nine
  • D. Eleven