Don`t allow elements to take advantage of friendly borders: Shinde

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday asked border guarding forces to check anti-national elements from taking advantage of the country`s friendly relations with its neighbours for perpetrating their evil designs.

New Delhi: Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday asked border guarding forces to check anti-national elements from taking advantage of the country`s friendly relations with its neighbours for perpetrating their evil designs.
Calling the task of guarding open and friendly borders with countries like Nepal and Bhutan a "big challenge", he said security forces tasked to guard these frontiers should ensure "total curb" on illegal activities along land frontier areas.

"We have open borders with some countries as we have very old friendly relations with them. People can move across in these areas without any problem but we have seen anti-national elements take advantage of this... This is a big challenge.

"The security forces should render their duties with utmost sincerity in these areas keeping in mind that no one is able to take advantage of these friendly relations and carry out any illegal activity against the country. The forces should ensure a total curb on such activities," he said while addressing SSB troops during their golden jubilee celebrations here.

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is the designated force to guard the open Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan. Another paramilitary BSF, guards India`s border with Bangladesh.

Shinde also asked the force to continue undertaking social welfare activities like providing education and healthcare to people living in border areas.

The home minister, who met officers and jawans at the SSB camp in south Delhi, announced quick sanction of funds for the forces` officers training academy in Srinagar in Uttarakhand which was damaged during the recent rain fury in the state.

In his inaugural speech, SSB chief Arun Chaudhary briefed Shinde about the damage to the academy due to heavy rains and subsequent floods saying it was a "difficult" task to train young recruits in absence of regular infrastructure.

The Director General (DG) also requested Shinde to allow the force to return to its old format of keeping a separate non-combatised wing for collection of intelligence and conducting welfare activities for locals in areas where SSB is deployed.

There are about 4,000 people in this cadre and according to present plans envisaged by the Home Ministry, this cadre will be phased out over a period of time keeping only combatised troops and administrative in the ranks of the 57,000 personnel strong paramilitary.

Shinde also complimented SSB personnel for rendering relief and rescue works in Uttarakhand.

Later taking questions from reporters on the sidelines of the event, he spoke on the case of senior diplomat Devyani Khobargade`s absconding maid Sangeeta Richard.

Shinde said the "law will take its course".

He was asked if Delhi Police was mulling any action in light of an FIR filed against Richard.

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