NEW DELHI, October 16 — The Joint Medical Review Board under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday issued an exhaustive revised manual of uniform physical and medical fitness standards governing recruitment into the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), encompassing the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, and Assam Rifles.
The revised guidelines rationalize dermatological tattoo standards, explicitly permitting small non-offensive religious and traditional insignias on the inner aspect of the left forearm, while accommodating candidates who have undergone corrective refractive corneal surgeries (LASIK/PRK) after a verified six-month post-procedure stabilization window across designated technical and administrative posts.
The Board also calibrated Body Mass Index (BMI) assessment protocols, directing reviewing medical officers to account for muscular body composition among rural, indigenous, and athletic youth, thereby curbing arbitrary disqualifications during the Detailed Medical Examination (DME) and Review Medical Examination (RME) stages.
The operational charters of India's Central Armed Police Forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs (border management, counter-insurgency, and critical infrastructure protection), the constitutional duty of the Union to protect States under Article 355, and statutory recruitment frameworks represent staple topics across UPSC CAPF (Assistant Commandants) and SSC CPO/GD examinations.