Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced the imminent rollout of a “smart border” pilot that will use technology, local administration and security forces together at seven to eight frontier locations nationwide, saying the move aims to prevent demographic change caused by cross‑border infiltration. Shah made the remarks while addressing Border Security Force troopers at the Lankamura border outpost.
Shah said the smart‑border concept is intended to complement existing fencing and forms part of a broader “quadrilateral security strategy” to make India’s frontiers more secure. “The concept is in the final stage of planning. Any initial challenges encountered will be addressed, after which the initiative will be scaled to cover the entire border network,” he said.
Explaining the immediate focus in the northeast, Shah noted that Tripura — bordered by Bangladesh on three sides — will see an upgrade of fencing: the government has approved replacement of 119 km out of roughly 650 km of wire fencing that is over 15 years old. He described the plan as a mix of infrastructure renewal and new surveillance measures.
Shah warned that India faces multiple threats along its Bangladesh and Pakistan borders, including drug smuggling, human trafficking and the use of drones to drop counterfeit currency. “Somewhere there is drug smuggling; elsewhere there is human trafficking or drones dropping counterfeit currency,” he said, underlining the variety of challenges the smart‑border pilots are meant to counter.
Linking the security push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a developed India by 2047, Shah said national development requires internal security from crimes that harm people and the economy. “If that is to be achieved, the biggest necessity is for us to become a secure country,” he said. “When I say ‘secure’, I do not talk about there being very big threats from any war. But can we make the country secure from smuggling? Can we make it secure from human trafficking? Can we make the country’s youth secure from drugs? Can we save the country’s economy from the proliferation of fake currency?”
Shah’s Tripura visit follows inspections of western frontiers in Rajasthan and Gujarat; he is reported to be likely to visit a Bengal border sector on June 15. Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka accompanied him to the outpost. Separately, Shah remotely inaugurated new accommodation at the BSF’s 37th Battalion and a Quarter Guard complex project at the 97th Battalion.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/wont-allow-demographic-change-through-influx-amit-shah/articleshow/131542738.cms
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Publish Date: 2026-06-06 05:03:00
