Role of China Study Group (CSG)

Role of China Study Group (CSG)

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II

Context:

• While reading articles dealing with India-China standoff, we frequently find references of government’s high-powered body, “China Study Group (CSG)”, meeting often to review and discuss the prevailing situation along the LAC.

What is China Study Group (CSG)?

• It is a government body, headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, which has the cabinet secretary, secretaries of home, external affairs, defence, and representatives of the Army as the members.

• The CSG was set up in 1976 by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to advise on policy issues relating to China.
• It was initially headed by the Foreign Secretary and now by the National Security Adviser.

Functions or aim of CSG

CSG was set up in 1975-1976 under K.R. Narayanan with a twin purpose.

1. It was to keep under review the situation on the Sino-Indian border, and
2. It was to assist in preparations for negotiations with China on the border question. 

In the wake of heightened road and track construction work undertaken by China along India’s Northern and Eastern frontiers in 1997, CSG was constituted to study the requirement of road communication along the China border for fast and smooth movement of troops in case of any aggression.

At the end of the study, the CSG identified 73 strategically important roads along the China border for Indo-China Border Roads (ICBRs) to be built.

Do you know?

• Border Roads Organisation (BRO) handles the bulk of the ICBR road construction work.
• Several other entities are also responsible for constructing ICBR – such as NHAI, MoDNER, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) etc.