The force was raised in first week of 1962 war with a strength of 4 battalions for collecting intelligence, fighting conventional and guerrilla warfare and improving Indian communication systems along the Chinese border.

It provided security services for the 1982 Asian Games as well as 7th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the 1983 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

[4] The primary role of the ITBP is to patrol the 3,488-km India-China border from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Diphu La in Arunachal Pradesh,for which it has 32 battalions and 157 outposts.

The ITBP conducts long and short range patrols to keep an effective vigil on the inaccessible and uninhabited areas located near the border.

It is the first responder for natural disasters in the Himalayas and has 8 Regional Response Centres in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Northeast India.

Its river rafters have created international history in rafting through the turbulent white waters of the Brahmaputra, the Indus and the Ganges.

ITBP had provided a quarantine camp at Chhawala in New Delhi for potentially infected persons during the COVID-19 pandemic who were evacuated from Wuhan.

Being the only human presence in some areas close to China border, it has taken on itself the task of maintaining the delicate balance of flora and fauna.

ITBP has been involved in providing personal securities to VVIPs such as Murali Manohar Joshi, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti but Home Ministry is considering to withdraw it from protection duties.

Keeping in view the evolving security scenario of the country, ITBP established a Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare (CIJW) School at an altitude of 6,000 feet in the heart of extremely tough Himalayan mountains, at Mahidanda in Uttarkashi district.

The training regime, formulated under the close supervision of Rajiv Mehta, IPS and executed on the ground by Sanjeev Raina, DIG is extremely demanding both mentally and physically, needing special preparation.

The troops of the force keep a sharp eye on any violation of the border, trans-border smuggling, and affords a sense of security to the remotely located isolated settlements.

The Himveers are taught to function effectively while always keeping in mind human rights and the codes of war which always guide their conduct.

[10] ITBP schools are located in remote areas like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Leh and Sonipat, Dwarka Delhi.

It organises annual exhibitions to showcase rare products of Himalayan region, the profit of which is used for welfare of the families of ITBP.

[20] It organises its Raising Day every year and announces various welfare programmes for its members as well as conducts training programs.