The Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh addressed the 53rd Raising Day Parade of Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBPF) held at Greater Noida, today. Rajnath Singh, took salute and reviewed the Raising Day Parade. While addressing, Rajnath Singh said the ‘Vasudhaiv Katumbakam’ is country’s policy for its neighbors and that the country wants peaceful relations with them. The Home Minister stated that India wants peace with China, but it cannot be at the cost of National honour and any compromise on the territorial integrity of the country. The infrastructural development on the Indian side of the border with China is necessary for facilitating our forces. There should be no concern for any infrastructural development on our side of the border from our neighbours, he added. The Home Minister said that any issue along the border can be resolved through negotiations in a peaceful and cordial manner. He also announced to provide Rs. 175 crore for development of infrastructure on the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
Rajnath Singh also objected to the unprovoked firing along the Pakistan border. The Home Minister said that our neighbor should restrain from such activities as even on the day of Diwali, firing took place at the border. He mentioned that such cease-fire violations are unacceptable to the country and our forces are forced to take appropriate retaliatory measures. While our eastern border is managed in a peaceful manner, our western neighbor should also maintain calm and peace at the border. The Home Minister also announced that 54 new Border Out Posts (BOPs) have been sanctioned by the Ministry to fill the gaps on the border of Arunachal Pradesh. He further said that the Home Ministry is keen to modernize the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). He said that the Ministry is considering deploying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for keeping more effective surveillance of the borders.
Rajnath Singh mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs is committed to the empowerment of CAPFs and in this regard, the delegation of financial powers to the Directors General of CAPFs for procurement of machinery and equipment has been increased from Rs. 8 crore to Rs. 20 crore. The power for procurement of arms and ammunition has also been enhanced from Rs. 5 crore to Rs. 20 crore. The delegated power for clothing and tentage has been raised from Rs. 6 crore to Rs. 15 crore. The Home Minister praised the women contingent of the Force for their spectacular show during the Raising Day Parade. On this occasion, 2 Police Medals for Gallantry, 6 President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service, 24 Police Medals for Meritorious Service and 4 Jeevan Raksha Padak were conferred to the personnel of the Force. Service and Supply (SS) Battalion was awarded with ‘Best non border Battalion’ while 19th Battalion was awarded with ‘Best Border Battalion’ of the Force. In his address, Shri Subhas Goswami, Director General, ITBP stressed the need for additional Battalions for ITBP as the Force is 100% dedicated to the security related duties. It is affecting the rest and recuperation requirement of the personnel of the Force who are deployed either at the higher altitudes, Counter Insurgency and other internal security duties.