New MHA plan: States will help manage borders
In a major policy initiative, the Union home ministry has decided to involve border states in management of the respective international borders. So far the Centre has been in sole charge of managing international borders, but authoritative home ministry sources told this newspaper that the MHA had taken a conscious decision to involve the frontier states in management of international borders.
The first step in this direction was taken when Union home minister Rajnath Singh met the chief ministers of the states bordering China in Gangtok, the sources said, adding that a second meeting was held in Aizwal where the heads of states bordering Myanmar were called to chalk out the border management policy.
The Centre will continue to give funds for border management, the security sources added,
The first step in this direction was taken when Union home minister Rajnath Singh met the chief ministers of the states bordering China in Gangtok
explaining that the idea of involving states was to ensure that the people of the states also benefited by the development of border regions. The home ministry is working on a plan to improve roads, health, sanitation and power supply in the border areas, the sources said, adding that all those living in these areas would also benefit.
On the problems along the international border with Myanmar, the security sources said lack of policing on that border was the biggest problem, and residents were left to the mercy of militants. The sources said the states adjoining the Myanmar border had been asked to increase
police presence by setting up police stations along the international border with Myanmar.
Saying the Centre had also agreed to allot the funds needed to increase the police presence on this border, the security sources said Mr Rajnath Singh will next meet the CMs of the states bordering Bangladesh.
The MHA sources said most of the border states had welcomed this initiative by the home ministry, as they will now have a greater say in this matter.