'Smart Border Project' will make borders impregnable in a year: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the government will create an impregnable border grid with the 'Smart Border Project' equipped with drones, radars, modern cameras, and technologies within the next one year to curb infiltration. He said the government's vision for internal security is to root out problems and after Naxalite terrorism, infiltration will now be completely stopped.

The Home Minister, terming border security as a territorial responsibility, directed the Border Security Force (BSF) in Tripura, Assam, and West Bengal to work together with district administration, police stations, panchayats, and patwaris to prevent infiltration. Mr. Shah attended the BSF's awards ceremony and the Rustamji Memorial Lecture as the chief guest on Friday. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the Secretary of Border Management, and the Director-General of the BSF.

The Union Home Minister congratulated the entire team and all jawans of the BSF on the historic achievement of the women's team successfully climbing Mount Everest. He said the force has faced various challenges, including illegal infiltration, narcotics smuggling, cattle smuggling, counterfeit currency, organized crime, and drone-based smuggling of arms and narcotics. He said that in the coming days, the force's role will have to be made more integrated and extensive.

Mr. Shah said that traditional methods alone cannot secure borders, and for this, the security grid needs to be strengthened in collaboration with state police, central armed police forces, other armed forces, the Narcotics Control Bureau, intelligence agencies, and state administration. He said, "We have to see border security not as an isolated responsibility but as a territorial responsibility, only then we will be able to tackle all these challenges."

He said that we also have to look at future threats. We have to be cautious and vigilant to prevent changes in the demographic balance through infiltration from across the border. "We also have to be alert to the attempts to hollow out our economic system through narcotics and counterfeit currency attacks. We have to work with a new strategy for cyber challenges, hybrid warfare, and drone threats."

The Union Home Minister said that the Ministry of Home Affairs will provide technical assistance to the BSF to make the border a smart border. He said, "We are moving forward in creating a strong security grid with several experiments being done by the BSF. Within the next one year, we will create an impregnable border security grid by incorporating all kinds of technology in border security with the smart border concept. The Ministry of Home Affairs will soon bring a smart border project with drones, radars, modern cameras, and other new technologies to the country."

The Home Minister said that after this initiative, the work of the BSF will become much easier and it will also get strengthened. He said that on the 60th anniversary of the force's establishment, we will start the smart border project and make the entire border with Bangladesh and Pakistan impregnable, which will provide the BSF with huge technical assistance. This will provide the force with not only bravery, courage, dedication, and patriotism but also strong technical support, with which we will make both borders more secure.

Mr. Shah said that due to the government's firm and unwavering resolve, the five-decade-old Naxalite terrorism problem has been eliminated, and India has become Naxal-free. He said that maintaining or controlling the problem cannot be a security perspective, but rooting out the problem can be a security perspective. He said that the BSF should now move forward with the same resolve to stop infiltration.