New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a nearly 50 percent increase in funding for infrastructure development at international borders, highlighting the government’s focus on strengthening the country’s national security apparatus.
In the Union Budget tabled before the Lok Sabha Saturday, the Ministry of Finance increased the budget for border infrastructure and management by 49 percent to Rs 5,597.25 crore for the next financial year starting April 1 from Rs 3,756.51 crore this financial year. The allocation was revised to Rs 3,069 crore for the financial year ending 31 March this year.
Budget allocations for infrastructure development for police forces and projects of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Central Police Organisations (CPOs) have also been increased by approximately 39 percent and 38 percent respectively.
Overall, the budget for the Ministry of Home Affairs has been increased to Rs 2.33 lakh crore for the next financial year from Rs 2.02 lakh crore last year.
Home Minister Amit Shah called the budgetary allocations for the next financial year a “blueprint” of the Modi government’s foresightedness.
A senior Border Security Force official said the increased allocation would speed up the strengthening of the security grid in border regions, further strengthening national security.
“The BSF has been doing a lot of things to improve its preparedness at the border such as technologies related to fencing, blocking drones flying across the border from Pakistan and more money will speed up the acquisition of modern-day technologies,” the BSF official told ThePrint.
This increased financial push for border infrastructure comes as India ramps up preventive measures to stop illegal infiltration from neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Security forces have been conducting operations to identify and deport foreign nationals who have entered the country illegally using forged documents through land borders.
India shares an approximately 4,100-km border with Bangladesh, a 3,323-km border with Pakistan and a 1,643-km border with Myanmar. It also shares a 3,488-km with China which is secured by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
Massive boost to infrastructure
The budgetary allocations for border infrastructure and management have been on an upward curve for the last few years, now reaching a five-year high of Rs 5,597 crore.
Spending under this category – which covers the creation and maintenance of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and check posts – increased from just Rs 1,996 crore in the 2020-21 Budget to Rs 2,130 crore in 2021-22. The allocation was further hiked to Rs 3,756 crore in the Budget for the financial year 2024-25.
In addition to border infrastructure, the Finance Ministry has also increased the allocation for police infrastructure to Rs 4,379 crore for the next financial year from Rs 3,152 crore for this financial year.
The funding boost comes as police forces across the country work to implement the three criminal laws—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam—that came into force starting 1 July 2024.
Funding for CAPFs and CPOs projects, such as the National Investigation Agency, has been increased to Rs 4,038 crore for the next financial year from Rs 2,926 crore allocated for 2024-25.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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