Security Challenges and Their Management in

Border Areas

India shares 15,106.7 km of its land-border with seven nations –

Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Nepal and
Bhutan. The border runs through 92 districts in 17 states and
the coastline reaches up to 13 states and union territories.

India’s boundary with each of its neighbors runs through a variety

of ecological milieus, each with its own unique setting and
associated problems. For example, India-Pakistan border runs through
areas experiencing extreme climatic conditions given that the boundary
extends from the hot Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the cold Himalayas in
Jammu and Kashmir .

Similarly, in the north, the India-China boundary runs along one of the
loftiest mountain ranges covered with snow all through the year. The India
Myanmar boundary is draped with lush tropical forests with its myriad
under-growths.

The Indo-Bangladesh boundary has to cope up with the ever-shifting

riverbeds in the region. These diverse ecological and climatic conditions
create immense hurdles for maintaining the security and administrative
requirements in these border areas.

The purpose of the border management is to secure the country’s

borders against the hostile elements and putting hindrances to
avoid threats while facilitating legitimate trade and commerce.

Types of Land Border

 International Border Line (IBL): IBL is the demarcation that has

been agreed upon and rectified by both the neighbouring countries,
and has been accepted by the rest of the world.
 Line of Control (LoC): LoC is the de facto border which separates
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from India’s state of J&K.
 Line of Actual Control (LoAC) is the boundary line that separates
Indian held lands from Chinese controlled territory.
India’s Land Boundaries Scenario:

 Bangladesh (4,096 km).

 China (3,488 km).
 Pakistan (3,323 km).
 Nepal (1,751 Km).
 Myanmar (1,643 Km).
 Bhutan (699 Km)
 Afghanistan (106 Km)

Security Challenges in Border Areas

Border management is a security function that calls for coordination and
concerted action by various government agencies of the country. The aim
is to secure our frontiers and safeguard our nation from the risks involved
in the movement of goods and people from India to other countries and
vice versa.

Managing the borders is difficult for several reasons. Some of our

maritime boundaries are still unsettled. Land borders are not fully
demarcated. Sections of our borders are based on artificial boundaries
and not based on natural features. Border guarding forces are often under
resourced and ill-equipped. They are also used for purposes other than
border guarding. Intelligence gathering, intelligence sharing and
intelligence coordination are imperfect.

India’s neighborhood is in turmoil. Several of India’s neighbors are

undergoing political and economic instability. India also has continuing
border disputes with several of its neighbors. Uncertain borders not only
raise bilateral tensions but also facilitate cross border infiltration. Some of
the other major challenges include:

 Illegal migration especially along Bangladesh and Nepal

borders
 Counterfeit Currency issues
 Human trafficking
 Terrorism, mainly from Pakistan
 Unaccounted money from other countries to sponsor
religious activities
 Flaring up of communal tensions
 Smuggling of arms and ammunition
 Drug smuggling
 Support to Left-wing extremism
  Armed succession struggle

Challenges Faced by People

India’s territorial borders, both land and sea, suffer from diverse physical,
ethnic and cultural contradictions. While the state has a major role in
securing war frontier , the population along territorial peripheries, too, can
play an important role in securing our interests. The people living in these
areas are the most important ingredient towards a secure and safe border
area. But people along border areas suffer different issues in their daily
life due to following reasons:

 Vulnerability to threats posed by border-criminals.

 Restriction/control over movement by forces.
 Fear of unknown—threat of aggression by enemy, cross border
shelling, firing etc.
 Lack of industrialization/economic progress, inadequate
developmental measures by Govt.
 Lack of infrastructure, means of communication, education, medical,
water and remoteness.
 Loss of crops, houses and material belongings during the time of
aggression.

International Borders of India

India-Myanmar
India-Myanmar relations are rooted in shared historical, ethnic, cultural
and religious ties as Buddhism connects the two countries. India shares a
1643 km long border with Myanmar. The northeast states of Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram share the border with Myanmar.

The India-Myanmar border got together during Anglo-Burmese war in

1885. British won the war and established administrative mechanism
between the two countries. After independence, through Boundary
Agreement of 1967, between the India and Burma, the demarcation of
border was carried out.

Terrain on the Indo-Myanmar border is semi mountainous with steep

slopes covered with dense forest, perennial and seasonal rivers and
nullahs with numerous waterfalls. Cross-country movement is
extremely difficult and is restricted to existing tracks only. Thick
vegetation restricts both ground and aerial observation. Small villages in
the border areas have tribal population, who share affinity with population
in Myanmar.

The border with Myanmar also remains operationally active. Several

insurgent groups have secured sanctuaries in Myanmar. The cross border
movement of Nagas and Mizos for training, purchase of arms and shelter
when persecuted by Indian security forces, combined with the difficult
terrain of the region makes this border extremely challenging to manage.
Similar tribes live on both sides of the boundary and pose difficulty in
restricting the movement of the people. Apart from that the border area is
vulnerable due to the narco-terrorism, smuggling of arms, illegal
migration and fake Indian currencies along borders.

The Intelligence inputs indicate that a major modernization drive of the

Chinese Army has released vast quantities of old weapons, some of them
are offloaded to the arm dealers who supply it to the insurgent groups
inside India. Security concerns along indo-Myanmar Border need to be
viewed holistically,
particularly with reference to the influence and physical presence of China
in socio-economic and military affairs of Myanmar. The junction of India,
Bangladesh and Myanmar is also vulnerable due to the Chakma problem
and frequent infiltration of Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

This border is manned jointly by the army and Assam Rifles which has 46
battalions guarding the border. Cross-border ethnic ties have facilitated in
creation of safe havens for various northeast insurgent groups in
Myanmar. Border fencing works and flood lighting have started. The
diversion of AR for counter insurgency and policing has resulted in poor
management of borders and also frequent clashes with the local
population. Recently, ministry of home affairs has brought out proposal for
the creation of a 29-battalion India-Myanmar Border Force from the corps
of the Assam Rifles and the Indo-Tibetan Border Force to patrol
mountainous border with Myanmar to curtail drugs and arms smuggling
and also crimp the activities of Manipuri and Naga insurgents who take
advantage of the porous border. The fencing of border is also being
undertaken to inhibit the easy movement of undesired elements.

Myanmar is important to India due to historical, ethnic and cultural ties

impacting bilateral relations and people to people contact. Myanmar is of
great strategic importance as it is a gateway to South East Asia and holds
huge economic potential for India. It is important for India’s Energy-
security, better coordination with ASEAN countries, trade and investment
opportunities for the development of north-eastern part of India and
curtailing insurgency in border areas.

Myanmar also provides China a route to the second coastline into the
Arabian Sea from Kunming through the Sittwe port. The border coast
including Arakan can become vulnerable for India due to increasing
presence of Chinese economic and strategic activities in Myanmar. China
has already made huge investments in Myanmar in terms of infrastructure
development and construction of pipelines for purchase of oii and natural
gas. India needs to engage Myanmar as it is important for the
development of the North eastern region of India.

India has even taken many steps in recent times such as Kaladan Multi-
Modal TransitTransport Project which will connect the Kolkata port with
Sittwe port of Rakhine state of Myanmar, Mekong-Ganga Cooperation,
BIMSTEC etc. to facilitate higher cooperation and integration with
Myanmar. Act East initiative has provided new vigor to the efforts
channelized towards this purpose.

Rohingya Crisis

 Rohingya came to Myanmar in the 19th century when the British

ruled all of what is now India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
 In 1982, the Rohingya were stripped of their citizenship by the
government of Myanmar.
 They are majority Muslim ethnic group who live in northern Rakhine
(Arakan) of Myanmar & are one of the most persecuted minority
groups according to the UN.
 The Rohingya conflict is one of the longest conflicts between the
majority Buddhist Burmese and the minority Muslims in Myanmar.
 In 2015 a refugee crisis involving the Rohingyas spread panic across
the region, after boats carrying hundreds of refugees were found
floating in the sea. Many of these refugees also fled to India. There
are an estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees presently located in
India. For India, the Rohingya problem is made further significant by
the fact that many of them occupy Rakhine province- home to
Sittwe.
 Suu Kyi has thus far been reluctant to make direct and open
commitments toward the resolution of the Rohingya crisis, fearing a
possible political backlash at home, which has also dented her
reputation as a peace crusader.

India-China
India was the first non-communist country to establish an Embassy in PRC.
On April 1, 1950, India and China established diplomatic relations. The two
countries also jointly expounded the Panchsheel (Five Principles of
Peaceful Co-existence) in 1954. After a decade of friendship bonhomie,
India-China conflict of 1962 led to serious setback in bilateral relations.

The northern border with China extends from Eastern Ladakh in J&K to
Arunachal Pradesh. It was considered a very unique border as it was the
most peaceful disputed border in the world. But recent Doklam standoff
has changed the perception about it. There are various elements of the
northern border with China. It includes the Line of Actual Control (LAC),
the Indian and Chinese perception of claim lines and the International
border. The LAC has three sectors: the “western sector” between Ladakh
and the Aksai Chin; the “central sector” between Uttarakhand and Tibet;
and the “eastern sector” that divides Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh from
Tibet. In Ladakh, there are two LAC’s, one what India perceives and the
other is the Chinese perception, thus posing a challenge to border
management. China is under illegal occupation of areas in Aksai Chin. In
the East, it runs along the McMahon Line as per Indian perception whereas
China claims that entire state of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory
and part of southern Tibet and India is under illegal occupation of Chinese
territory.

The Indo-China border management has experienced inefficiency. The

reason seems to be the involvement of different agencies in managing the
border. Most part of the border is guarded by ITBP, mostly headed by IPS
officers who report to Home Ministry. But some parts are also guarded by
Army which is under Defence Ministry as seen in Doklam areas. This multi-
agency structure hampers the efficient coordination among guarding
forces and thus mismanagement of security along border.

Since the time of 1962 conflict, the trade relations of past more than 2
decades have been the most important binding force for the two
countries. The trade related interests of the two counties have led them to
cooperate through different mechanisms such as:

 BRICS organization of 5 countries which has resulted in forming of

New Development Bank to help each other grow through
investments.
 SCO, a strategic organization led by China for peace and stability in
Asian countries.
 Both have cooperated in World Trade Organization against
dominance of developed countries.
 In IMF and World Bank, they have pushed for increased
democratization.
 Participation in UNFCCC summits for meeting the challenges
emanating from climate change conditions.
But increasing economic prominence of China has also resulted in its
increased assertiveness towards neighbouring countries which has led to
many strategic concerns for India. Some of the issues could be
enumerated as:

String of Pearls strategy under which China is trying to encircle India

through ports in littoral countries such as Gwadar (Pakistan), Chittagong
(Bangladesh), Hambantota (Sri-Lanka) etc. India is increasing its
cooperation with Japan, USA and Australia for strategic development of its
islands to increase its defence capabilities along Indian Ocean to counter
China’s increasing dominance.

India also sees the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of connectivity in Asia as
China’s strategy to increase its strategic prominence in the region as is
perceived in the case of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. To counter it,
India and Japan are initiating the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor.
China has also tried to undermine India’s interests by issuing stapled visas
to residents of Arunachal Pradesh. India has lodged protest against this
initiative of China.

But as trade being the dominant part, China outlined a 5 point agenda,
including reducing trade barriers and enhancing multilateral cooperation
to boost bilateral trade. There are several institutional mechanisms for
India’s economic and commercial engagement with China. India-China
Joint Economic Group on Economic Relations, Trade, Science and
Technology (JEG) is a ministerial-level dialogue mechanism. A Joint Study
Group (JSG) was set up to examine the potential complementarities
between the two countries in expanded trade and economic cooperation.

China is already India’s number one trading partner. From China’s side,
India already is one of its top ten trading partners and is growing much
faster than the other nine. Since it is almost certain that, by 2050, China
and India will be the two largest economies in the world, it is inevitable
that bilateral trade between them will become the most important
economic relationship in the world which could have positive impact on
settling the border disputes among the two countries.

Wuhan Summit
A two day informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Chinese President Xi Jinping took place in Wuhan in April 2018.

Significance of the Summit

The summit has shown that despite bilateral and geopolitical differences,
India and China can resolve
differences peacefully and through prolonged dialogue; Both the countries
have decided to “issue strategic guidance to their militaries to strengthen
communication” in order to build trust and mutual understanding and
enhance predictability and effectiveness in the management of border
affairs, essentially to avoid another Doklam-like confrontation.

India and China have signed agreement on internal security cooperation

It is first such agreement to be signed between the two countries. The
agreement on internal security cooperation aims to strengthen and
consolidate assistance in counter-terrorism, organised crimes, drug
control, human trafficking and exchange of information, marking a new
beginning between the two countries. It covers areas of intelligence
sharing, exchange programme, sharing of best practices, cooperation in
disaster mitigation besides others.

Water Dispute
China’s grand plans to harness the waters of the Brahmaputra River have
set off ripples of anxiety in the two lower riparian states: India and
Bangladesh. China’s construction of dams and the proposed diversion of
the Brahmaputra’s waters is not only expected to have repercussions for
water flow, agriculture, ecology, and lives and livelihoods downstream; it
had also become another contentious issue undermining Sino-lndian
relations.

India-Pakistan
India shares almost 3323 km of border with Pakistan. India’s 106 km long
borders with Afghanistan are under Pakistani control in Pakistan Occupied
Kashmir (PoK). India’s border with Pakistan is divided distinctly in three
segments. The first segment is Actual Ground Positioning Line (AGPL)
which separates both countries in Siachin Glacier area. The next segment
is the Line of Control (LoC) which extends from NJ 9842 to Sangam in J&K
and the third segment is International boundary from LoC endpoint till
Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. The entire border with Pakistan is manned by
the BSF except LoC in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).The LoC is the
responsibility of the army with some BSF battalions placed under its
operational control. The situation at LoC came under intense scrutiny
when Pakistan started proxy war in J&K in early 1990s and began assisting
the militants in crossing over the LoC, causing problem of terrorism and
insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. This led to creation of LoC fence which
has added another dimension for the local population.

As per Shimla Agreement, no defensive structures could be constructed in

the near vicinity of LoC. Flence, the fence has been constructed at varying
distances from the LoC considering the terrain and tactical aspects of
domination and patrolling. The construction of the fence has led to sharp
decrease in infiltrations from the Pakistani side as Indian troops have been
able to effectively obstruct the movement of insurgents.

However, the construction of fence has led to hardships for the local
population. Their lands have been taken away and the area ahead of the
fence which cannot be effectively dominated due to ground dispositions
has been mined. The construction of crossing points on the LoC has re-
enabled people to people contact, which was initially cut off due to
strained relations between both the countries.

For over 70 years since the Kashmir conflict began in 1947-48 the two
armies were engaged in a so-called ‘eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with
loss of life and property that could justifiably be called a ‘low intensity
limited war’. Still, there is no consensus between both the countries to
regulate the activities. An informal ceasefire has been in place all along
the LoC, including at the Actual Ground Position Line. Since 2003, there
are frequent violations leading to the growth of hostilities between both
countries. In reality, a war like situation prevails in this area.

The 2289 km long international border with Pakistan is guarded by the

BSF during peacetime. Its tasks include border surveillance, prevention of
illegal crossings and smuggling. Deployed in 609 Border Outposts, 49 BSF
Battalions are aided in their task by creation of a border fence in J&K and
Punjab. As part of the Border Area Development Programme, 1958kms
offence has already been constructed out of the planned 2044 kms at the
sanctioned cost of Rs 1201 Crore. Despite several measures, the border
along Punjab has been under effect of drug trafficking and smuggling of
counterfeit currency. The area is seen as part of Golden Crescent, which is
infamous for drug trafficking in Asia.

Most of the areas across the border have been well fenced and flood
lighted along with the deployment of surveillance cameras. Border
Outposts (BOP) has been created and regular patrolling of the border is
done. They also interact with the nearby villages. Sir Creek area has been
manned by the water wing of BSF. Nearly around 10 floating outposts
have been deployed which acts as mother ships from where regular
patrolling vessels are sent to patrol around the creek areas. In addition,
night vision devices, hand held thermal images, battle field surveillance
radars, ground sensors etc. have been deployed.

Madhukar Gupta Committee Report

Madhukar Gupta committee has submitted its report to the Government
to strengthen border protection and address vulnerabilities in
fencingalongthe Indo-Pakistan border. The Committee has given its
recommendations broadly on the issues of Threats and Border Protection,
assessment of force level, deployment on the border, infrastructure and
technology issues for protection of border and administrative issues. It has
been decided to initiate action in light of the recommendations of the
Committee in consultation with the stakeholders.

Ceasefire Violations
During winter, Indian security officials have identified that Pakistan is
trying to push in as many infiltrators as possible to add to the terrorist
bench strength in J&K before the passes get snowed under. It is gaining
international attention and Pakistan requires mediation on Kashmir. The
West is more concerned about the re-emergence of al-Qaeda in the Middle
East. This will allow Pakistani Army relative freedom to launch major
terrorist operations in Kashmir – may be a revival of the Kashmir jihad.
The withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force from
Afghanistan resulted in diversion of Pakistan Army’s attention to the
Indian borders. A tactical diversion of the attention from Pakistan’s
internal politics shuffled economy and pathetic law and order situation to
the border areas. A tactic to move out the civilian population from the
border areas may result in more unhindered infiltration.

India-Bangladesh
India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh as a separate and
independent state and established diplomatic relations with the country
immediately after its independence in December 1971. India’s links with
Bangladesh are civilisational, cultural, social and economic. There is much
that unites the two countries -a shared history and common heritage,
linguistic and cultural ties, passion for music, literature and the arts.

India and Bangladesh share 4096.7 km of . border, which is the longest

land boundary that India shares with any of its neighbors . The India-
Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) came into force following
the exchange of instruments of ratification during Hon’ble PM’s visit to
Bangladesh in June 2015. On 31 July, 2015 the enclaves of India and
Bangladesh in each other ’s countries were exchanged and strip maps
were signed. Residents of these erstwhile enclaves, who opted to retain
their Indian citizenship made a final movement to India by 30 November
2015.

The settlement of the maritime boundary arbitration between India and

Bangladesh, as per UNCLOS
award on July 7, 2014, paved the way for the economic development of
this part of the Bay of Bengal, and will be beneficial to both countries.

The India-Bangladesh border has been described as the ‘problem area of

tomorrow’. The problems include illegal migration, smuggling, and
transborder movement of insurgents, which are serious threats to the
security of the country. India shares its longest border with Bangladesh,
but this border is not attentively managed. The border is guarded by
Border Security Force.

The problems in border management are as follows:

 Porous nature of border

 Difficulty in identifying Bangladeshi nationals
 Indifferent attitude of border population
 Over-population in border areas
 Inadequate fencing along border
 Criminal-administration-police nexus
 Criminals in enclaves
 Ambiguity in jurisdiction on the border
The Indian government has initiated initiatives such as increasing fencing
along border, inclusion of increased number of Integrated Check Posts for
efficient and secure movement of people, facilitation of trade along
border. India has also planned to undertake big infrastructural projects
along border to facilitate efficient management of India-Bangladesh
border.

India-Nepal
Relations with Nepal have vital importance both domestically as well as on
foreign policy front for India. Many factors make India’s relationship with
Nepal critical. These include the extensive people-to-people, religious,
cultural and economic links between the two countries, the open border
and the resultant security problems for India, free Indian currency
convertibility in Nepal, the presence of Gorkhas in the Indian army, the
millions of Nepalese living and working in India , and the flow of major
rivers from Nepal to India. It shares a border of over 1751 kms in the east,
south and west with five Indian States – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

It became an open border under the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of

1950. It was virtually un-attended till very recently as Nepalese citizens
have free access to live and work in India under the said treaty. Since the
eruption of a Maoist insurgency in Nepal efforts have been made to
gradually step up vigilance along this border as India fears the southward
spreads of Maoist ideology.

The responsibility for this has been entrusted to the Sashastra Seema Bal
(SSB) which has 34 battalions guarding the border. India has increased
the border patrolling and has also started CBM with Nepali counterparts.
The major challenges faced due to a porous border are of illegal
immigration for economic reasons, smuggling and terrorism. Some
intelligence inputs of presence of Pakistan intelligence agency, ISI, have
increased the need to guard the border efficiently.

Nepal’s proximity to China has also increased the need for better
coordination with Nepal from India’s perspective. Along with OBOR
initiative, Nepal has signed Transit Agreement with China to explore an
alternate of its dependence on India regarding trade. Recently, it has
started accessing internet from China, ending India’s monopoly, thus
diversifying its options.

India-Bhutan
The Indo-Bhutan border is 699 km long sharing with Sikkim, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal. It is a closed border which has been
manned by SSB’s with strength of 13 battalions. It is relatively peaceful
and effectively coordinated guarding with the cooperation of Bhutanese
counterparts. For the Bhutan border, the BSF shares the responsibility
with the SSB. Since the Royal Bhutanese Army drove out the Bodo and
ULFA insurgents from its territory in 2003, the border has been relatively
quiet, but there is need to ensure that such groups do not again create
sanctuaries for themselves in Bhutan.

India has been through thick and thin with Bhutan since long past. Bhutan
has in return had shown enormous interest in supporting its big neighbor,
India. Bhutan supports India’s stand on the Non-Proliferation Treaty and
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which were accused as discriminatory
de-nuclearisation programes and also India’s claim for a permanent seat
in the UN Security Council.

Bhutan proved to be India’s trusted friend in 2003 when it launched

Operation All Clear and Operation Flush out against Indian insurgents
taking shelter in its territory.

Response to Border Management Challenges

The traditional approach to border management, i.e. focusing only on
border security, is becoming inadequate. Indianeeds to not only ensure
seamlessness in the legitimate movement of people and goods across its
borders but also undertake reform to curb illegalflow. Increased bilateral
and multilateral cooperation, coupled with the adoption of new
technologies for border control and surveillance and the development of
integrated systems for entering, exchange and storage of data, will
facilitate the movement of people and products without endangering
security.

Current border management schemes by the Government of India cover

articles of trade and people, points of entry and borders, and strategic and
operational facets. A variety of measures are taken to safeguard land
borders. These measures are grouped into following categories:

1. People: Comprises the various types of forces and manpower

deployed for safeguarding our borders.
2. Process: Efficient border management and border security
essentially entail the effective control and regulation of the
movement of people and goods and are of exceptional importance
for the country. The processes that define and control the regulatory
strategy for the borders and help the government facilitate
legitimate travel and trade while simultaneously preventing illegal
Migration, smuggling and infiltration of insurgents and terrorists are
the hallmarks of good border management. Consequently, the two
basic tenets that help define the process for border management
are:
 Porousness of borders for legitimate trade and movement of
persons.
 Non-porousness of borders for all criminal activities and other
activities that jeopardize stability in the region. Border
management is an integral part of military security and
demands proactive intelligence, inclusion of technological
advancements, and coordinated action by bureaucrats,
politicians, economic agencies, security personnel and other
related stakeholders of the nation in order to safeguard our
borders from any sort of infiltration and attack.
3. Technology: The Government of India is focusing extensively on
leveraging the power of technology to improve the efficiency and
 effectiveness of border operation. The world is moving towards
technologically advanced military and defence systems and India
has been equipping its military with sophisticated weaponry to help
combat actual and perceived dangers to the nation. Technology
interventions near the border areas in India are broadly classified
into two categories:
 Mobilization and ordinance supply chain (including equipment,
weapons, vehicles and ammunition)
 Surveillance and communication (including the use of
technology that comprises information, logistics,
reconnaissance, command and control centers, and
surveillance in the border areas)
4. Surveillance and Communication: Strategic gains out of modern
offensive systems, such as high-tech artillery and troop deployment
can only be realized effectively when augmented with essential
research and intelligence-based activities. In many ways, soldiers
near the border area fight a persistent battle of secrecy with the
military personnel across the border. Amid such latent military
intentions, information about the opposition and spying shape the
basic military moves. Non-offensive technologies like advanced
communication systems and surveillance enable the border guard
forces to pre-empt and handle such situations in the most effective
manner possible.
Some of the measures taken by the Government of India include
advanced surveillance systems, command and control centres, maritime
border security and drones. In this regard, the Defence Research and
Development Organization has been supplementing India’s border
management techniques through extensive research and development.
Special focus has been laid on technology in areas such as information,
communication, command and control, Air Defense Control and Reporting
System and battlefield management system.

There have been recommendations of establishing Integrated Theatre

Command to act as a unified command of thethree services for better
communication among the three units of security forces. Kargil Review
Committee recommended for setting-up of Chief of Defense Staff for the
same purpose.

Department of Border Management

The Department (D/o) of Border Management was formed under the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in January 2004, following
recommendations from the Group of Ministers (GoM) on border security.
This department has been entrusted with the responsibility of all matters
associated with land borders and coastal borders, with the exception of
LOC in the Jammu and Kashmir sector. The roles and responsibilities of the
D/o Border Management include development of Integrated Check Posts
(ICPs).
Island Territories and Coastal Security
India has a coastline of 7,517 km, of which the mainland accounts for
5,422 km. The Lakshadweep coast extends for 132 km and the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands have a coastline of 1,962 km. The Indian coastline is
distributed among nine coastal states and four UTs, and almost the entire
coast of India falls within the tropics. The nine coastal states are Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
and West Bengal.

According to the Maritime Zone Act, 1976, the maritime zones of India are
divided into five Coast Guard regions, with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG)
responsible for the enforcement of maritime zones.

Five regions and Headquarters:

 North-West (Gandhinagar)
 West (Mumbai)
 East (Chennai)
 North-East (Kolkata)
 Andaman and Nicobar (Port Blair)
Recently, there has been proposal to establish Coastal Border Police
Force, a central armed police force to supplement the Coast Guard in
guarding the coastal areas.

Kargil Review Committee

The Kargil Review Committee had very specific terms of reference. It was
to investigate events leading up to the Kargil crisis and seek means for
prevention of similar crises in future. It was headed by noted defence
analysts and convenor of the National Security Council Advisory Board K.
Subrahmanyam.

Recommendations

 Measures to augment the flow of foreign language experts into the

intelligence and security agency, which face a severe shortage of
trained linguists.
 Deputation of armed services officers up to director level in the
Ministry of Defence should be considered.
 Early establishment of a National Defence University (NDU) and the
creation of a separate think-tank on internal security.
 A permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
 Expediting the creation of new instruments for counterterrorism,
such as the National Intelligence Grid and National Counter
Terrorism Centre.
  Promotion of synergy in civil-military functioning to ensure
integration. To begin with, the Creation of a new post of Intelligence
Advisor to assist the NSA and the National Intelligence Board on
matters relating to coordination in the functioning of intelligence
committee
 Amendment to Prevention of Corruption Act to reassure honest
officers, who take important decisions about defence equipment
acquisition, so that they are not harassed for errors of judgement or
decision taken in good faith.
 Deputation of officers from services up to director’s level in Ministry
of Defense.

Naresh Chandra Task Force

Naresh Chandra Task Force was set up by the government in 2011 to
review the current national security system and to suggest measures to
strengthen the national security apparatus. The salient recommendations
are as follows:

 Creation of a new post of Intelligence Advisor to assist the NSA and

the National Intelligence Board on matters relating to coordination
in the functioning of intelligence committee
 A permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
 Expediting the creation of new instruments for counter-terrorism,
such as the National Intelligence Grid and National Counter
Terrorism Centre.
 Deputation of officers from services up to director’s level in Ministry
of Defense
 Early establishment of a National Defence University (NDU) and the
creation of a separate think-tank on internal security.

Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System

The CIBMS is touted as a more robust and integrated system that is
capable of addressing the gaps in the present system of border security
by seamlessly integrating human resources, weapons, and hightech
surveillance equipment. It has three main components:

 New high-tech surveillance devices such as sensors, detectors,

cameras, ground-based radar systems, micro-aerostats, lasers as
well as existing equipment for round-the-clock surveillance of the
international border.
 An efficient and dedicated communication network including fiber
optic cables and satellite communication for transmitting data
gathered by these diverse high-tech surveillance and detection
devices.
  A command and control centre to which the data will be transmitted
in order to apprise the senior commanders about the happenings on
the ground and thus providing a composite picture of the
international border.
A composite picture would help senior commanders analyse and classify
the threat and mobilise resources accordingly to assist the field
commander in his response. The purpose of the CIBMS is to eventually
replace manual surveillance/patrolling of the international borders by
electronic surveillance and organising the BSF personnel into quick
reaction teams to enhance their detection and interception capabilities.
Other factors such as power back up, training of the BSF personnel in
handling the sophisticated equipment, and maintenance of the equipment
are incorporated into the CIBMS project.

Challenges To CIBM System

In the case of India, it is widely accepted that the operation and
maintenance of the existing sophisticated equipments remain a problem.

At present, many of the high-tech surveillance devices deployed by the

BSF are not optimally utilised because the required technical expertise is
not uniformly available among the force’s personnel.

The high cost of the electronic devices and the lack of easy availability of
spare parts act as a deterrent against their use.

Control centres manned by incompetent BSF officials and centralised

decision making could hamper timely and effective response on the
ground given that detection and interception of infiltrators at the border
require a quick response which is achieved only through a decentralised
decision making process.

The lack of technical expertise, erratic power supply and adverse climatic
and terrain conditions in the border areas could potentially undermine the
functioning of the sophisticated system.

Border Area Development Programme

The Border Area Development Programme (BADP) was introduced in
1993-94 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It was launched to meet the
special development needs of the people living in remote and inaccessible
areas near the international border. Its primary objectives were to create
infrastructure in border areas, instill a sense of security among the people
living in border areas, Provide economic opportunities to people living in
the vicinity of the border.

Initially, the programme was implemented in the western Border States

with an emphasis on the development of infrastructure to facilitate the
deployment of Border Security Force. Later, the ambit of the programme
was widened to include other socio-economic aspects such as education,
health, agriculture and other allied sectors. During the eighth five year
plan, the coverage was extended to include the Eastern States that
shared a border with Bangladesh. The implementation of BADP
scheme was on participatory and decentralized basis through the
Panchayati Raj Institutions, Autonomous Councils and local bodies.

Objective
The main objective of the BADP is to meet the special developmental
needs and wellbeing of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas
situated near the international border and to saturate the border areas
with the entire essential infrastructure through convergence of
Central/State/BADP/Local schemes and participatory approach.

Participation of Women in BADP Programme

In respect of participation of women in BADP programme, Himachal

Pradesh is most well-placed among all other States covered under the
programme, with regard to the participation of women in the planning and
implementation processes of BADP. 100% people of the Himachal Pradesh
said that women are very participative in the implementation of the
scheme. A greater degree of participation of women in village panchayats
empowers women in these villages in general. On the other hand, 63% of
the people of J&K, 60% of the people of Rajasthan and 80% people of
Punjab stated that women’s participation in BADP is not satisfactory.
Women’s participation was found similarly unsatisfactory in the NE States.

Funds Allocation
Funds are allocated to the States on the basis of three parameters bearing
equal weightage under BADP. These parameters are:

 Length of International Border

 Population of border block
 Areas of border blocks

Recommendations of NITI Aayog

 Inspection and monitoring of programmes/better reporting

structure.
 Planning of more employment and skill generating schemes.
 Reduced political interference.
 Awareness campaign about the scheme.
 Construction of all-weather roads/bridges/footpaths.
  Deployment of adequate staff.
 Allocation of more funds and their timely release.
 Involvement of Panchayat Samitis in planning and implementation
of scheme.
 Promotion of small scale industries to generate additional
employment and income.
 Convergence with other programmes at planning level.

Way Forward
Smart border management aims to modernise our country’s existing
border management by improving the quality and efficiency of border
crossing process. It further aims to help India and neighbouring countries
to deal with increasing flow without necessarily increasing the number of
border guards and patrol forces. The fundamental objective of smart
border management is to promote mobility between India and other
countries in a secure environment while contributing to fight against
terrorism, drug trade, smuggling, illegal activities and other serious
crimes.

Thus, in this context, smart border management is a stronger more

efficient and transformational solution towards border management that
lays emphasis on improved controls for border security, smarter
information systems for intelligence gathering, and preventing and acting
upon any threats in a more planned and sophisticated manner using the
latest technological advances.