India’s decision to beef up its border security forces comes amid ongoing tensions with neighboring China that led to deadly border clashes in 2020 and scuffles late last year.
The proposal was approved at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Anurag Thakur, the union information and broadcasting minister, told reporters at a post cabinet news conference.
The move is expected to increase the strength of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to more than 10%, according to reports.
Most of the muscles along the LAC
Under the government sanction, the new manpower will be used to man 47 new border posts and a dozen “rest camps” or troop bases to be set up along this border, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh.
These bases were sanctioned in 2020, the same year Indian and Chinese troops were involved in one of the bloodiest clashes in decades.
A senior official said the new bases were sanctioned to ensure effective surveillance of the LAC, adding that seven battalions and a new sector headquarters staffed by around 9,400 personnel were now also greenlit.
The battalions and sector headquarters are expected to be set up by 2025-26, Thakur said.
He said that a non-recurring expense of Rs 1,808.15 crore is estimated to be spent on land acquisition, creation of office and residential buildings, weapons and munitions, while an annual recurring expense of Rs 963.68 crore will be effected under the wages and rations at the head of the fresh labour.
Officials said the creation of 47 new border posts would lead to a 26% increase in the strength of these bases, while hiring 9,400 new staff would increase their strength by 10%. The force currently has 176 border posts at the LAC.
Border force along the border with China
The ITBP, which has about 90,000 people, was established in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression.
It is tasked with protecting the 3,488 km long Line of Effective Control (LAC) on India’s eastern flank, which stretches from the Karakoram pass in Ladakh in northern India to Jachep La in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
The force is working alongside the army on this front even as the militaries of India and China have been engaged in a standoff in Ladakh since 2020.
A nod to the Shinkun La tunnel
The CCS has also given its nod for the construction of a 4 km long Shinkun La tunnel with an approach road with the aim of providing all-weather connectivity between Ladakh and the rest of the country.
Giving details of the cabinet decision, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that the tunnel will be completed by December 2025 at a cost of Rs 1,681 crore.
“This (project) is also very important in regards to the security and safety of the country….It will also help in the movement of our security forces in that region,” Thakur said.
Prior to this, the Atal Tunnel was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which connects Manali to Leh and provides all-weather connectivity throughout the year, he said.
(With contributions from agencies)
