Security Challenges and their Management in Border Areas | UPSC Mains: Internal Security & Disaster Management PDF Download

Challenges in Managing Land Border 

• Complex topography: The complex land border of 15000+ km that runs through varied topography makes it a complex task to manage but vital from the point of view of national security.
• Unsettled land borders: Unsettled land borders with China, Pakistan and Bangladesh not only raise bilateral tensions but also facilitate cross-border infiltration, illegal migration, smuggling and crime.
• Shortage of Resources: Border-guarding forces are often short on resources and ill-equipped for modern border management and mastery.
• Imperfect Intelligence Gathering: Intelligence gathering is imperfect, as are intelligence sharing and intelligence coordination; this situation needs to be changed.
• Ambiguity: Multiple stakeholders competing and multiple instructions trickling down the border management led to confusion on the field among different agencies.

Observations of Kargil Review Committee: K. Subrahmanayam(1999) 

• NSA: There must be a full-time National Security Adviser. Members of the National Security Council, the senior bureaucracy need to be continually sensitized to assess intelligence pertaining to national, regional and international issues.
• Inadequate Surveillance Capacity: Kargil highlighted the gross inadequacies in the nation’s surveillance capability, particularly through satellite imagery. It highlighted the fragmented nature of communication capabilities in India and its inadequacy in funding.
• Restructuring of the Role of Paramilitary Forces: The role and the tasks of the paramilitary forces have to be restructured particularly with reference to command, control and leadership functions.
• Detailed Study: It recommended a detailed study in order to evolve force structures and procedures that ensure improved border management and a reduction, if not the elimination, in the inflow of cross-border illegal trade.
• Enhance Defense Outlays: It suggested the need to enhance India’s Defence outlays as budgetary constraints have affected the process of modernization and created certain operational voids.
• Reorganization: It recommended the reorganization of the entire gamut of national security management and apex decision-making and the structure and interface between the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces Headquarters in a holistic manner.
• Enhance Industrial Capacity: Facilitating defence exports, the better utilization of highly sophisticated industrial capacity and related manpower.
• Civil-military liaison Mechanism: The establishment of a civil-military liaison mechanism at various levels, from the ranking Command headquarters to the operational formations on the ground is most necessary to smoothen relationships during times of emergency and stress, like war and proxy war.

Shekatkar Committee (2015)

• Fasten Construction: Speeding up road construction and outsourcing road construction work beyond the optimal capacity of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• EPC: Mandatory to adopt the Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) mode for the execution of all works costing more than Rs 100 crore.
• Procurement Powers: Delegating enhanced procurement powers from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 100 crore to BRO for domestic and foreign procurements.
• Technological Intervention: Introducing advanced new technologies to speed up construction such as precision blasting, the use of geotextiles for soil stabilization using the cementitious base for pavements and plastic-coated aggregates for surfacing.

Other Key Recommendations:

• Optimization of Signals Establishments: It includes Radio Monitoring Companies, Corps Air Support Signal Regiments, Air Formation Signal Regiments, Composite Signal Regiments and merger of Corps Operating and Engineering Signal Regiments.
• Restructuring of repair echelons in the Army: It includes Base Workshops, Advance Base Workshops and Static /Station Workshops in the field Army.
• Redeployment of Ordnance echelons: It includes Vehicle Depots, Ordnance Depots and Central Ordnance Depots apart from streamlining inventory control mechanisms.
• Supply and Transportation: Better utilization of Supply and Transportation echelons and Animal Transport Units.
• Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments: Closure of Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments in peace locations.
• Standard for Recruitment: Enhancement in standards for recruitment of clerical staff and drivers in the Army.
• Increase in Defense Budget: India’s defense budget should be in the range of 2.5 to 3 percent of the GDP, keeping in mind possible future threats.
• Training Institute: A Joint Services War College for training middle-level officers should be established.
• Intelligence School: The Military Intelligence School at Pune was converted to a tri-service intelligence training establishment.

Government Interventions in Border Management 

• Electronic Surveillance: National Command Control Communication and Intelligence Network (NC3I) has been launched to provide near gapless surveillance of the entire coastline and prevent the intrusion of undetected vessels, the coastal surveillance network project. It comprises:
  1. Coastal Radar Chain (CRC)
  2. Automatic Identification System (AIS)
  3. Vessel Traffic Management and Information System (VTMS)
• Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Systems (CIBMS): The CIBMS is a robust and integrated system that is capable of addressing the gaps in the present system of border security by seamlessly integrating human resources, weapons, and high-tech surveillance equipment.
• Border Area Development Project (BADP): To meet the special developmental needs of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas situated near the international border; To saturate the border areas with essential infrastructure; To promote a sense of security and well-being among the border population.
• Integrated Check Posts (ICP): Border Out Posts (BOPs) are designated entry and exit points on the international border of the country through which cross-border movement of persons, goods and traffic takes place. A Statutory Authority called 'The Land Ports Authority of India' (LPAI) has been set up to oversee and regulate the construction, management and maintenance of the ICPs.
• Marine Police Force: Under the Coastal Security Scheme (2005) marine police force was created with the aim to strengthen infrastructure for patrolling and surveillance of the coastal areas, particularly the shallow areas close to the coast.
• Border Infrastructure And Management Scheme: “Border Infrastructure and Management” (BIM) is a central sector scheme and it has been continued over the 15th Finance Commission cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• Coastal Security Architecture: Post the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the existing multi-layered arrangements have been further strengthened, and other initiatives like-
  1. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was set up in 2009 to deal with terrorist offences.
  2. The National Security Guard (NSG) has been created to ensure rapid response to terror attacks.
  3. The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)
  4. A three-tier security grid was installed with the Indian Navy, the coast guard, and the Marine Police jointly patrolling India’s near-seas.

Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) Scheme

• The new Vibrant Settlements Programme, introduced in the Budget 2022–23, would cover border settlements with a sparse population, inadequate connectivity, and infrastructure.
• Construction of village infrastructure, housing, tourism attractions, road connectivity, the availability of decentralized renewable energy, direct home access to Doordarshan and educational channels, and assistance with livelihood creation are just a few of the planned initiatives.
• The action was performed in response to Chinese "model villages" near the LAC.

Role of Technology in Border Management 

• India has around 15,106.7 km of border with varied terrain, climatic conditions and relationship with some of the neighbouring countries further increasing the complexity and criticality of border management.
• Thus, there is a need to expand the range of external information sources by upgrading border management through technology-driven and intelligence based.
• The entire fence along the 700 km stretch of LOC will be converted into a smart fence.

Significance:

• Upgrading existing system: Technology can be integrated with the existing systems to facilitate better detection and interception by the man behind the machine.
• Checking infiltration: It can be helped to detect infiltration via land, underwater, air and tunnels by deploying close circuit television cameras, thermal imagers and night vision devices etc.
• Facilitate Cross Border Trade: Blockchain technology can help quickly and securely process transactions, it also makes it much easier to identify and trace illegitimate trade.
• Improved Intelligence inputs and Surveillance: The remote sensing satellites, radar satellites and satellites with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors are capable of providing day and night all-terrain and all-weather inputs.
• Advance technology: The fence will be integrated with LIDAR sensors, infrared sensors and cameras among others.

Border Infrastructure 

Border Infrastructure is essential for any country in order to claim its territorial integrity and sovereignty. With China and Pakistan, India has long-running territorial and boundary conflicts, as well as porous borders in challenging terrain.
Need for Border Infrastructure: 

• Imperative to National security: India’s border is vulnerable to political instability, cultural radicalism and patronage of terrorism arising from the neighbouring countries.
• Matching Neighboring countries’ Infrastructure: Developing matching infrastructure along the border like that of China’s. It laid roads, railway lines, and communication networks, including fibre optics along the border.
• Socio-economic needs: For developmental needs and well-being of people living in border areas.
• Enhancing Mobility: Tactical and strategic mobility is impeded by a lack of Infrastructure resulting in the predictability of operations.
• Controlling Illegal Activities: For Facilitating legitimate trade and travel along with supervision to control smuggling, trafficking, crime, terrorism and illegal migration can increase.
• Asserting Territorial Integrity: As seen in the case of the Doklam and Galwan Valley clash, the development of border infrastructure is essential to assert a country's territorial Integrity.

Limitations: 

• Poor implementation: In 2017, CAG pointed out that of the 73 roads allotted in border areas, only 22 roads were completed by March 2016. Similar was the case with 14 strategic railway lines.
• Lack of monitoring resulting in defective construction of roads including faulty design, poor riding conditions, inadequate drainage facilities etc.
• Multiple authorities managing the border: India has Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Border Security Force and Assam Rifles for border management, unlike China which has one command for its security forces managing the border, indicating cohesiveness.
• Lack of unity of command: Management becomes slightly inefficient because in some places the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is responsible and in other places the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is responsible.

Steps Initiated: 

• Border Area Development Programme (BADP): The main objective of the BADP is to meet the special developmental needs and well-being of the people living in areas situated near the International Boundary.
• Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) which includes 60 projects like construction of roads, schools, primary health centres, helipads, promotion of border tourism etc.
• Completion of Indo-China Border roads: Of 61 roads planned in 1st phase, 36 have been constructed.
• Creation of National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL): NHIDCL took over several projects from BRO to address delays in execution.

Maritime Security 

Strategic Development of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) 

• Securing Sea Lines of Communications (SLOC) by creating a series of chokepoints: Preparis Channel in the north, the Ten Degree Channel and the Six Degree Channel (used by vessels passing through Malacca Strait) to the south.
• Countering increasing Chinese presence: By gaining ground at critical chokepoints, China could use them to its benefit during any future conflict or a standoff with India.
  1. ANI’s strategic location allows India to pursue sea denial warfare strategy to dictate terms in littoral space.
• Net security provider: India can also leverage the potential of these islands to protect its own interests and burnish its image as the ‘net security provider’ in the region.
• Connection with Southeast Asia: Containing about 30 percent of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), ANI connects South Asia with Southeast Asia.
• Important fulcrum of Indo-pacific: The ANI are at the intersection of the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, and further to the Pacific Ocean.

Developmental initiatives taken in ANI 

• Maritime hub: In 2015, the government announced a plan to develop the islands into the country’s first maritime hub to develop facilities, such as telecommunications, electricity, and water etc.
• Declining protectionism: In 2019, a new Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notification was promulgated, allowing land reclamation for ports, harbors and jetties. Allowing such projects will help in creating strategic infrastructure.
• Maritime exercises: Indian Navy conducts joint maritime exercises such as the Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise, MILAN and Coordinated Patrols with Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.
• Expanding naval presence: Following the Ladakh stand-off with China in May 2020, India is expediting plans for stationing additional forces, warships, aircraft, and missile batteries in the ANI.
• Others:
  1. The Chennai-Andaman and Nicobar undersea internet cable was inaugurated to provide high speed internet connection to seven remote islands of the ANI chain.
  2. In 2018, India and Indonesia set up a special task force to enhance connectivity between the ANI and the port of Sabang in Aceh to promote trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

Road Ahead

• Encouraging migration: There is a need to consider encouraging migration from the mainland and open up some of the strategically located uninhabited islands to tourism.
• Strategic infrastructure: In a bid to emphasize its regional pre-eminence, the Indian Navy in recent times has raised the tempo of naval operations in the Bay of Bengal highlighting India’s combat prowess.
• Cooperation with strategic partners: Port visits by US, Japan, Australia, France or the UK can lead to further graded cooperation in all the dimensions.
• Engagement with ASEAN: There lies an opportunity to make ANI an important element of “Act East Policy” of engaging with countries in the region east of India.