GUWAHATI, July 11:
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today painted a grim security situation in the country’s border with Myanmar and Bhutan where there were reports of insurgents, weapons and drugs crossing over and said that his ministry was taking measures to effectively manage the international borders.
240 villages with over two lakh population within 10 km of the Indo-Myanmar border were living without any worthwhile security cover, Singh told a security meeting attended by the chief ministers of all Northeastern States here.
“They are at the mercy of the insurgents. A similar situation prevails along the India-Bhutan border,” he said calling upon the Chief Minsters of the region to pay attention to this crucial area of security.
“We must take care of the development along with the security of people living along the international borders. You would be glad to know that under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), we have enhanced the share of the region from 30 per cent to 40 per cent,” Singh, accompanied by his deputy Kiren Rijiju said.
He said that a committee headed by Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) R N Ravi had been constituted to suggest measures to effectively manage the Indo-Myanmar border.
The committee is likely to submit its report within the next few days and the Government would take action as per its recommendations, he said.
He suggested opening and strengthening of police stations in the border areas to instil a sense of security among the people, which is crucial for successful implementation of the Centre’s ‘Act-East Policy’.
The Union Home Minister also urged the Chief Ministers to provide land for border fencing by acquisition on urgent basis wherever it was pending.
Singh said the region had a huge stockpile of illegal firearms which were smuggled in from across the border and sold here and beyond.
“Existence of illegal weapons will encourage crimes and vitiate the security eco-system of the region. I would urge the Chief Ministers to launch sustained drives against illegal weapons and make their respective States free of such arms,” he said.
Noting that Mizoram, Tripura, large parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are “almost free of insurgency”, Singh said it was time deployment of Central forces was reduced in the Northeast.
“In the wake of improvement in security scenario, there is a need to review deployment of security forces in the region. At present the deployment is more than it was when the insurgency was at its peak,” Singh told a conference of North East Chief Ministers here.
The Home Minister asked the Chief Ministers of the region to conduct a “realistic audit” of the Central Armed Police Forces in their states, assuring them of the Centre’s help in the deployment of them “when actually needed”.
Singh, who was accompanied by his deputy Kiren Rijiju, also said that there had been substantial strengthening of state police forces in the past few years.
“Without compromising with the security, we must plan to reduce deployment to make the environment easy and also to encourage positive thinking of outsiders about this region,” he said congratulating the chief ministers on their efforts to improve the security scenario by bringing down the level of insurgency to an “all time low”.
Union DoNER Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh while giving resume of development activities undertaken in the North East region, said that ever since he took over the charge of this Ministry a number of new and innovative measures have been taken to increase pace of development in the region.
“At the same time to bridge gap between North East Region and rest of India unique initiative, for the first time in the country, was in the form of introducing a process of rotational camp secretariat. Under this process, by rotation camp is held every month in each of the eight States in the region”, he said, adding “this will not only help the officers of DoNER Ministry to have on spot assessment of various development projects but will also send a message that the people of North East don’t have to travel to Delhi for redressal of each of their grievances. While on the other hand Delhi can travel to their doorsteps”.
Among the new initiatives taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Jitendra Singh referred to organic farming mission for which an amount of Rs 125 crore has been earmarked. “The concept paper is under inter-ministerial circulation and soon the same will be taken up for approval of Union Cabinet”, he added.
In order to overcome the delay occurring as a result of technical approval from different departments, the DoNER Ministry has hired services of a PSU, which will outsource the task of technical vetting and processing, Dr Singh said.
He disclosed that under the recently launched Rashtriya Abhishkar Abhiyan, launched in New Delhi on July 9, North East will get one model science school in each of the district of the region. Dr Singh also referred to his regular interaction with each of the Chief Ministers and the new initiative of engaging the Delhi based Resident Commissioners of North East States for follow up of projects relating to their respective States. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel