JODHPUR —
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said India will soon create a
comprehensive anti-drone unit to secure its borders as the "menace"
of unmanned aerial vehicles is going to get serious in the coming days.
Addressing BSF troops at the 60th Raising Day event of the
force here at its training camp, about 300 km from the India-Pakistan border,
Shah said the initial results of a "laser equipped anti-drone
gun-mounted" mechanism have been encouraging.
This has led to an increase in drone neutralisation and
detection cases, up from 3 per cent to 55 per cent, along the India-Pakistan
border in Punjab, he said.
"The drone menace is going to get more serious in the
coming days... We are tackling this issue with a 'whole of government' approach
with the defence and research organisations and the DRDO joining hands.
"We are going to create a comprehensive anti-drone unit
for the country in the coming time," Shah said.
According to official data, more than 260 drones have been
downed or recovered from India's border with Pakistan this year as compared to
about 110 in 2023.
The maximum number of such interdictions of drones carrying
arms and drugs have taken place in Punjab and very few in Rajasthan and Jammu.
The minister reviewed the ceremonial parade, took salute and
awarded medals to gallantry award winners and some other decorations.
The Border Security Force (BSF), which has a strength of
about 2.65 lakh personnel, was raised on December 1, 1965. It is primarily
tasked with guarding more than 6,300 kms of Indian fronts with Pakistan and
Bangladesh apart from rendering a variety of duties in the internal security
domain of the country.
Shah said the ongoing Comprehensive Integrated Border
Management System (CIBMS) for securing India's borders with Pakistan (2,289 km)
and Bangladesh (4,096 km) is a work in progress.
"We have had an encouraging response from the CIBMS
deployed along the riverine border in Assam's Dhubri (India-Bangladesh
international border) but some improvements are required," he said.
The minister also said that the Modi government's Vibrant
Village Programme (VVP) for developing and bringing into the mainstream the
population of northern borders will be implemented for all the frontier
villages of the country.
This is the Modi government's "biggest
achievement" vis-a-vis enhancing border security and working for the
population living in these remote areas with a fund allocation of Rs 48,000
crore. It is being run on an "experimental basis" in around 3,000
villages, he said.
Shah said the Union government has sanctioned a
"big" budget for strengthening India's borders -- fencing, frontier
infrastructure, roads and other logistics.
"Securing global recognition and the number one place
for India by 2047 is not possible without our security personnel... the jawans
who guard our borders with dedication," he said.
Shah said about 573 new border posts have been created by
the Modi government apart from 1,812 km of roads.
BSF Director General (DG) Daljit Singh Chawdhary said 13,226
newly trained personnel have been posted in various battalions and this will
add to the "operational strength" of the force.
An additional 4,000 freshly recruited personnel are under
training while about 12,000 will join the force next month to learn security
and combat skills before being posted at the borders, he said.
Chawdhary also spoke about the "increasing number"
of drones carrying arms and drugs being sent by the enemy from across the
Pakistan border.
More than 250 drones have been intercepted this year on the
western border, he said.
"We have deployed a DRDO made anti-drone system to
check this menace," he said.
