Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday chaired a high-level meeting of four North-Eastern States, which shares border with Myanmar, in Aizawl to review the security along the Indo-Myanmar border. While Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Mizoram Chief Minister lal Thanhawla attended the meeting, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh counterparts sent their representatives to the meeting.
At meeting, the Home Minister expressed the Centre's commitment to develop the North-Eastern region and said that steady progress in infrastructure development has already been made in the region including inter and intra-regional road, rail and air connectivity, power, education, health and setting up institutions of excellence and research in various fields.
He said that allocation under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) to 17 border States was Rs990 cr in 2016 - 2017 which has been raised to Rs 1,100 crore in 2017- 2018 and the States of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were released Rs567.39 crore during the last three years.
“Greater connectivity within the region and with our neighbours is likely to give impetus to enhanced movement of goods, services and people across the border,” the Home Minister said adding that improved connectivity and relations with Myanmar are opening new opportunities of growth of this region and Indo-Myanmar border region will be playing a much greater role in near future.
He said that the Centre and the States must be adequately prepared for the future considering the potential of the region.
“Although Myanmar border is peaceful and friendly yet it is very sensitive. India’s 1643 kms border with Myanmar, touching four States of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram is unique in many ways. It has a visa-free movement regime for the people living within 16 kms on either side of the border. They can stay up to 72 hours with effective and valid permits issued by the designated authorities on either side. This regime has been in place keeping in view the traditional social relations among the border people,” he said adding that genuine people living in the close proximity of the border.
“However, it is misused by militants and criminals who smuggle weapons, narcotics, contraband goods and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN). With fast improving security situation in this region, militants are denied hideouts here and some of them have relocated themselves across the border,”
he said adding that taking advantage of the free-movement regime occasionally they
enter India, commit crimes and escape to their relatively safer hide-outs.