Border Roads Organisation: The Engineers Who Build to the Border

Before a soldier can reach a border post in Ladakh or Arunachal Pradesh, someone has to build the road. Since 1960, that job has belonged to the Border Roads Organisation.

1Chapter 1: Who and What BRO Is

Must Know

Set up in 1960

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was set up on 7 May 1960.
• It builds and maintains roads in India’s remote border regions.

Under the Defence Ministry

• Since 2015, BRO has come entirely under the Ministry of Defence.
• Its funding and administration were once shared with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Who builds the roads

• BRO’s core workforce comes from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF).
• It also includes officers on deputation from the Indian Army Corps of Engineers.

Where it works

• BRO works in 19 states and three union territories.
• It also builds roads in friendly neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan, Bhutan and Myanmar.

Who leads it

• BRO’s executive head is the Director General Border Roads (DGBR), a Lieutenant General-rank officer.
• The DGBR is Lt Gen Harpal Singh.

2Chapter 2: Roads, Records and GREF

Good to Know

Landmark tunnels

• BRO’s landmark projects include the Atal Tunnel under Rohtang Pass.
• They also include the Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh.

The world’s highest motorable road

• In 2021, BRO won a Guinness World Record for the world’s highest motorable road, at Umling La in Ladakh, at 19,024 feet.
• In October 2025, BRO went higher.
• It built a road at Mig La Pass, also in Ladakh, at 19,400 feet, beating its own record.

What GREF actually is

• GREF is not the Army, and it is not an ordinary civilian department.
• Its members are civilian employees, but the force is organised army-style, in units with Army-equivalent ranks.
• GREF personnel fall under the Army Act, 1950, and the Army Rules, 1954, with only a few exceptions.
• In wartime, GREF works as a direct part of military operations.
• In peacetime, it builds and maintains border roads.

Named projects

• BRO organises its work into geographically named Projects.
• Project Beacon, based in Srinagar, is its oldest.
• Project Vartak covers much of Arunachal Pradesh.

Roads beyond India

• BRO built the Delaram-Zaranj Highway in Afghanistan, completed in 2008.
• It has also worked on road connectivity in Bhutan.

3Chapter 3: The Wider Picture

Great to Know

Among India’s border agencies

• BRO is one of several organisations managing India’s border infrastructure and security.
• See Border Security: Management, Organizations and Regional Challenges and Sashastra Seema Bal.

The terrain

• BRO’s mountain-pass road projects sit within a wider geography of Himalayan connectivity.
• See Himalayan Mountain Passes.

Pushing into once-unbuildable terrain

• The Mig La achievement came just four years after the Umling La record.
• India keeps pushing infrastructure into terrain once considered unbuildable.
• That turns remote border regions into places people can reach and live connected lives in.
• For why this region needed roads, see Arunachal Pradesh: From NEFA to Statehood, and the McMahon Line.

4Chapter 4: Past Papers

Exam Point of View

CAPF (ACs) 2022: statements on BRO

• A real exam question asked candidates to identify correct statements about the Border Roads Organisation.
• Questions like this test the basics covered above.
• They ask when BRO was set up, which ministry runs it now, and who staffs it.
• The staff are GREF, not regular Army soldiers.

5Chapter 5: Current Affairs

Current Affairs

The Strategic Infrastructure Conclave

• On 15-16 July 2026, BRO held its Strategic Infrastructure Conclave in New Delhi. (Source: PIB, 16 July 2026.)
• The theme was “Enhancing Capability through Technology, Innovation and Execution Excellence”.

The Defence Minister’s message

• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh said basic infrastructure stays central to military operations, even as advanced weapons are inducted.
• He said, “the person who builds that road is as vital a guardian of national security as the soldier who stands at the border.” (Source: PIB.)

Digital platforms and publications

• Singh launched two new digital platforms, for Project Management and Recruitment.
• He released three flagship BRO publications: “Path Pradarshak”, “Oonchi Sadken” and “Path Vikas”.
• He also unveiled the official BRO Anthem. (Source: PIB.)

The DGBR’s priorities

• DGBR Lt Gen Harpal Singh said BRO is undergoing organisational transformation.
• He highlighted digital planning, AI-enabled solutions and stronger collaboration with industry and academia. (Source: PIB.)

Quick Q&A

• BRO set up? 7 May 1960.
• Under MoD fully since? 2015.
• Umling La height? 19,024 ft.
• Mig La height? 19,400 ft.
• Core workforce? GREF.