[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-8

[Taha Mehmood]

http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2002/rdec2002/16122002/r1612200217.html

HOME MINISTRY'S CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE DELIBERATES ON BORDER MANAGEMENT

*16th December, 2002*


The Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs met
here today under the Chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Home
Minister, Shri L.K. Advani and exclusively deliberated on Border Management.
A Visual Presentation was made to appraise the Members on the ground
situation and action taken by the Government on the recommendations made by
the Group Of Ministers (GOM) constituted to review the National Security
System in its entirety after the Kargil encounter*. The Committee was
informed that a separate division on Border Management has already been
created in the Home Ministry as a follow up of the recommendations to pay
focused attention to the issues relating to border management*.

The Government was seized with a variety of issues relating to Border
Management both land and costal borders. India has 15,126 kms of land border
running through 92 districts in 17 States and a coast line of 5,422 kms
touching 13 States and Union Territories. It has also 1197 islands
accounting for 2094 kms of additional coast-line. The Meeting was told that
border specific issues pertaining to Indo-Bangladesh, Indo-Nepal,
Indo-Pakistan, Indo-Myanmar, Indo-Bhutan and India-China Borders are now
receiving Government's focused attention. The Committee was informed the
major initiatives by the Ministry which included, formulation of a Scheme
for issuing of Multi-Purpose National Identity Cards to check illegal
migration, deployment of high-tech electronic surveillance equipments on the
border, Constitution of a State Level Standing Committee and Joint Task
Force by border states including the States which have coast-lines, steps to
check Religious Fundamentalism, strengthening of Border Area Development
Programme, strengthening and Modernizing the Border Guarding Force, Border
Fencing and simultaneous diplomatic efforts not to allow Indian insurgent
groups to operate from their soil by the Border Countries, like Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Bhutan etc.

Participating in the discussion some Members expressed concern on the rise
in activities by Indian insurgent groups from across the border. It was
suggested that some vulnerable borders should be sealed not to allow these
forces to operate. They said a time-bound programme should be formulated to
check infiltration. Some Members expressed concern on the infiltration
through the coast-line and suggested that the coast-guard both on the main
land and Andaman and Nicobars should be strengthened to check the activities
of the infiltrators. Shri P.C. Alexander expressed concern on the growing
Narcotics trade and smuggling of arms and explosives which are intimately
linked to this trade. A suggestion was made that the control and
administration of the Narcotics trade should be shifted to the Home Ministry
from the Revenue Department. The Deputy Prime Minister told the Members that
the GOM had recommended the same and Government has accepted it and it is in
the process of implementation. The Director General Coast Guard who was
present in the Meeting briefed the Members on the Status of the activities
of the force.

Replying to Members queries on various issues of Border Management the
Deputy Prime Minister appreciated the pre-emptive intelligence reports and
consequent action taken to liquidate and apprehend the terrorists. He was
mentioning the December 14 incident in which two terrorists were killed in
the Capital after an encounter. He said the multi-agency set-up
(Intelligence) as suggested by the GOM has already functioning. General
Shankar Roy Choudhury highly applauded the intelligence agencies for their
accurate and swift action. Dr. Karan Singh, Shri G.M. Banatwalla and Shri
Somnath Chatterjee commended the Home Ministry for the detailed presentation
on the Border Management and also the recent initiatives taken by the
Government to strengthen this. The Home Minister thanked the Members for
their deep interest in the discussions.

S/Shri S.K. Bwiswmuthiary; Holkhomang haokip; G.M. Banatwalla; Bishnu Pada
Ray; Somnath Chatterjee; Ali Mohd. Naik; Avtar Singh Bhadana; Anadicharan
Sahu; Dr. C.P. Thakur; V. Dhananjay Kumar all from Lok Sabha and S/Shri Dina
Nath Mishra; Ram Gopal Yadav; S.V. Virumbi; Dr. Karan Singh; Gen. S.Roy
Chowdhury (Retd.); Balbir K. Punj; and P.C. Alexander all from Rajya Sabha
participated in the discussions. The Ministers of State, Shri Ch. Vidyasagar
Rao and Shri I.D. Swami attended the Meeting.