Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asked Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel to be “very vigilant” along the Sino-Indian border, reported PTI. “Due to perceptional differences, there have been transgressions by the Chinese PLA [People’s Liberation Army] in the past,” he said while holding a meeting with the governments of Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand. “Such incidents have come down now,” he added.
While Uttarakhand Chief Minister TS Rawat, his counterpart in Sikkim Pawan Kumar Chamling and Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu attended the meeting, government officials represented Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Singh praised the ITBP personnel for carrying out their duty diligently. “As we are aware Indo-China border is undemarcated, we have to be very vigilant while guarding the borders. The ITBP has been guarding the Indo-China border since 2004. They are performing their duty with great courage and alacrity,” he added.
The home minister also urged these five governments to undertake developmental activities along the 3,488-km long Sino-Indian border to curb migration. Highlighting the problem of migration, the home minister said the Centre was working on model villages in border districts and urged the states send their proposals for development in these areas.
Singh also asked the state governments to send its officials to review development projects in these model villages. “We need to strengthen basic infrastructure in border areas so that people don’t migrate to other places looking for better opportunities,” he said, according to PTI.
The meeting comes after India decided not to participate in the Belt Road Forum, a two-day conference on China’s ambitious One Belt, One Road project. The project includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. India had made its stand clear by choosing not to send a representative to the forum, which began on May 14. It has repeatedly said the project did not respect countries’ territorial integrity. “Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Gopal Baglay had said.
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