DIMAPUR, JUL 9 (NPN): Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Thursday addressed the Land Border Districts’ Superintendents of Police Conference-2026 in New Delhi and stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to border security, saying the Centre was building a strong quadrangular security grid involving border guarding forces, state and district administrations, relevant central agencies and local citizens.
Addressing the conference, Shah said the meeting had institutionalised a comprehensive approach to border security and would deliberate on issues affecting border security, their resolution and policy measures. He added that India would also move forward holistically towards strengthening coastal border security.
He said the government was developing a “Smart Border” system and expressed confidence that India’s border security infrastructure would become among the most modern in the world in the coming years. He said a secure border, prosperous border regions and a vigilant society together could ensure national security.
Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country had been freed from Naxalism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, calling it a sign of collective success.
On narcotics, he said the government aimed to inflict serious damage on the drug menace and achieve victory over it within the next three years. He also said a robust mechanism was being created to make the country infiltration-free.
The Home Minister said earlier governments had offered temporary solutions to permanent problems, whereas the present government was addressing problems at their roots to ensure lasting solutions.
He said border infrastructure had increased by 400 per cent under the Modi government and was being developed through a scientific approach. Referring to the Vibrant Villages Programme, Shah said the initiative aimed to prevent migration, create employment and ensure 100 per cent implementation of government welfare schemes in border villages.
Shah also said the Prime Minister had launched a Demography Mission to study demographic changes, identify abnormal factors contributing to population growth and recommend measures to address them. He maintained that the government was committed to curbing unnatural demographic growth caused by abnormal factors, adding that infiltration was the primary cause of demographic changes in border areas.
He said the government was fencing the 1,610-km India-Myanmar border at a cost of Rs. 31,000 crore. According to Shah, the objectives were to prevent proxy war, illegal infiltration, radicalisation, narcotics trafficking, smuggling, drone-related threats, cybercrime, organised crime and demographic changes, while making border areas more secure and livable and preventing migration from those regions.
