Boosting Infrastructure Along China Border | 05 Jun 2020

Why in News

Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced to spend 10% funds of the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) only to improve the infrastructure along the China border.

Key Points

  • Enhancing Infrastructure:
    • The Border Area Development Programme (BADP) has been allocated Rs. 784 crore for projects in areas of States/UTs inhabited along the Indo-China border i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.
    • The fund is distributed to the border States and Union Territories (UTs) depending on various criteria such as the length of the international border and population.
    • Under this, the projects for developing strategically important villages and towns in border areas will be given priority.
    • Construction of roads, bridges, primary schools, health infrastructure, playfields, irrigation works, etc. will be undertaken within 10 km of the border.
  • Role of Various Security Forces:
  • Significance:
    • Bridging Socio-economic gaps:
      • It is an important intervention of the Government to bring about development of border areas by supplementing the State Plan Funds to bridge the gaps in socio- economic infrastructure on one hand and improving the security environment in border areas on the other.
    • Safe and Secure Borders: It would create a positive perception of care and encourage people to stay on in the border areas leading to safe and secure borders.
      • This would help integrate these areas with the hinterland.
    • Better Management of the Border: In the light of the recent incident of face-off between India and China the creation of infrastructure is a strategic move for the better management of the border areas.
      • It will provide faster mobility to troops and equipment to the border with China.
      • India is continuing the infrastructure for better connectivity to the Line of Actual Control with China. E.g. the construction of a strategic tunnel in Uttarakhand as a part of the Char Dham Pariyojana.

The Border Area Development Programme (BADP)

  • The BADP was launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1986-87 as part of a comprehensive approach to Border Management.
  • BADP was initiated in the border areas of the western region during the Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-90), for ensuring balanced development of border areas through development of infrastructure and promotion of a sense of security among the border population.
  • The States covered are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Way Forward

  • For a very long time China has been claiming various parts of India as its territory. The infrastructure development would ensure the territorial integrity of India along the borders. There is also a need of strengthening the Border Road Organisations (BRO) so that projects can run without any hurdle.
  • As the India-China border is witnessing the highest tensions since the Doklam stand-off in 2017, It is required that development projects must be implemented across the border to make it safe and secure for all.

Source: TH