Calls upon security agencies to work in coordinated mode
Strengthen border security through modern tools: HM
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 6: Union Home Minister Amit Shah today reviewed security situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a high-level meeting and reiterated the Narendra Modi Government’s commitment to attain the goal of terror-free Jammu and Kashmir.
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The meeting discussed innovative measures to further reinforce the watertight security cordon in the UT.
Earlier in the day, Shah visited the International Border in Hiranagar sector in Kathua district and addressed the BSF troops. He said the constant vigilance of personnel deployed on the frontlines remains crucial.
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Shah reached here late last night. Tomorrow, he will review development works in Jammu and Kashmir before returning to New Delhi.
At the high-level security review meeting held at Lok Bhavan to assess the current situation, Shah appreciated efforts of security agencies in dismantling terror eco-system in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The terror-ecosystem nurtured by elements inimical to our country in J&K has almost been crippled due to concerted efforts of Modi Government,” Shah said.
He reiterated unwavering commitment of the Narendra Modi Government to attain the goal of terror-free Jammu and Kashmir.
Innovative measures to further reinforce the watertight security cordon were also discussed in the meeting.
The Home Minister said that efforts for de-radicalisation have seen major success in accelerating our vision of terror-free J&K. He instructed for taking more steps for youth engagements.
Shah stressed that major initiatives to build up Start-up ecosystem, sports sector need to be taken to ensure that youths are engaged in income generating activities.
Calling upon security agencies to remain alert, the Home Minister asked them to continue work in a coordinate mode to ensure that the gains achieved in recent times are sustained and the goal of terror-free J&K is achieved at the earliest.
He assured that all the resources will be made available in this endeavour.
He called for innovative measures to reinforce the security grid while pushing de-radicalisation and youth outreach programmes.
Besides Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, the meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, General Officer Commanding Jammu-based White Knight Corps Lt Gen P K Mishra, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Praveen Kumar, Central Reserve Police Force DG G P Singh, and other senior military, police, civil and intelligence officers.
The meeting began shortly after Shah’s return from Hiranagar sector of Kathua district, where he visited border outposts and addressed the BSF troops, officials said.
The officials informed that the Home Minister commended the security forces for the recent successful anti-terror operations and stressed on maintaining the synergy for tracking down and neutralising terrorists who are believed to be hiding in the high altitude areas.
They said the meeting reviewed the ongoing anti-terrorist operations and the anti-infiltration grid, besides the measures taken to counter drone activities from across the border, amid intelligence reports suggesting the presence of terrorists waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate into India.
Emphasising the need to strengthen border security through modern tools, Shah said that while the constant vigilance of personnel deployed on the frontlines remains crucial, emerging challenges driven by advanced technology must be countered with equally advanced technological solutions.
He said this while addressing the troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) during his visit to the forward posts along the International Border in Hiranagar sector. He also lauded the role of the armed forces during Operation Sindoor when the Jammu frontier destroyed 118 enemy posts and three terror launch pads across the border.
He said the government and the BSF both share the common objective to keep the borders of the country secure, adding that the challenges faced some years ago are completely different from those faced today.
“The challenges we faced at the borders some years ago are completely different from the challenges we face today. Your dedication to remaining constantly vigilant on the frontlines is extremely important. However, as challenges are emerging through advanced technology, we must also find technological solutions to counter them,” the Home Minister said.
He was accompanied by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka and Director General of BSF Praveen Kumar during his visit to the border outposts of Gurnam and Bobiyian in the Hiranagar sector.
In Kathua, the Home Minister virtually inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of six welfare schemes for border guards at Bobiyian.
Addressing the BSF troops at Bobiyian, the Home Minister said he had come to oversee the border surveillance and directly engage with the force personnel.
“I have made a promise that the 60th year of the BSF would be observed as the year of BSF modernisation, and of the welfare of BSF personnel and their families. A team in the Ministry of Home Affairs is working on both these aspects,” he said.
For the welfare of BSF personnel, he said the Government will also bring a special scheme.
“Additionally, the Government is ready to spend funds required to modernise border security on the basis of technology. I believe that improved border infrastructure and modern equipment will greatly help you in performing your duties. Through this, we will also try to reduce your difficulties to some extent, so that you can discharge your responsibilities in a better manner,” he said.
Extending his best wishes to BSF personnel, the Home Minister said it is because of their sense of duty and dedication that the entire nation sleeps peacefully and feels secure.
“Whenever I visit a BSF post — whether it is the desert of Kutch, Rajasthan, or the region of Jammu and Kashmir — I always return after learning from the true spirit of duty, consciousness and the highest standards which you demonstrate while carrying out your duties with dedication and commitment,” the Home Minister said.
He said if there is the finest example of dedication and duty-bound service among all forces, it is the BSF jawans who remain deployed on the borders day and night.
“This spirit is rooted in your 60 years of valour-filled history, which has earned you respect and admiration across the entire nation,” Shah said.
He said whenever there has been a threat of intrusion or infiltration, the BSF has stood firm like an impregnable wall — unyielding and resolute — and has continuously worked to keep the nation secure.
Referring to Operation Sindoor in May last year, Shah said the exemplary courage displayed by the BSF has become a golden chapter in its six-decade-long history.
“Even in that difficult moment, all of you kept alive and elevated the spirit that we are the guardians of the border, ensuring that it remained radiant and unshaken. Under the Jammu and Kashmir frontier, 118 posts and three terror launch pads were destroyed by the BSF,” he said.
Shah paid tribute to Sub-inspector Mohammad Imtiyaz and Constable Deepak Chingtham, who made the supreme sacrifice in the Jammu sector and were honoured with Vir Chakra for their exceptional bravery.
Not only on the borders, the Home Minister said, even in the interior regions of the country — whether it is the difficult terrain of Manipur, the North-Eastern States, or particularly the Maoist-affected areas suffering from left-wing extremism in Odisha and Chhattisgarh — the BSF has demonstrated courage, commitment and valour.
“During the natural calamity in Punjab (in August-September last year), you displayed humanity and showed deep compassion towards the people. When the Chief Minister of Punjab (Bhagwant Mann) came to meet me, he himself said that had the BSF not been there, the difficulties faced by everyone during the floods would have increased manifold,” he said.
The Home Minister also laid a wreath at the martyrs memorial at Bobiyian border outpost as a tribute to the border guards who laid down their lives for the country.
“I paid tribute to the brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation’s defense… The soldiers’ sacrifice and unwavering dedication are inspiring to every citizen. I salute their indomitable courage and bravery,” he wrote on X.
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