Bikaner: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said a “quadrangular security grid” comprising the BSF, the Army, border residents, and the local administration was essential for ensuring comprehensive border security, asserting that safeguarding the country’s frontiers could not remain the sole responsibility of security forces.
Addressing troops at the Border Security Force (BSF) outpost at Sanchu in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district, Shah said a secure border could not be imagined unless all four stakeholders functioned in coordination.
He said that border security is “not an isolated duty, but a territorial responsibility shared by all of us”.
“Until we build this quadrangular framework, we cannot imagine a fully secure border,” he said.
The Union home minister said security agencies must remain vigilant not only against threats originating across the border, but also against internal threats posed by elements operating within the country at the behest of forces across the frontier.
“We must keep a watch on every danger emerging from across the border. At the same time, we also need to monitor and act under the law against those inside the country who are used from across the border to create internal threats,” Shah said.
He said only such a “quadrangular security grid” could fulfil the concept of a complete national security architecture.
Shah said he had held detailed meetings in Bihar with the state government and local administration, and similar joint meetings involving the BSF, chief ministers, and civil authorities were being conducted in Rajasthan, Kutch, Tripura and West Bengal.
He said the objective was to strengthen coordinated security management across India’s international borders.
“Some people try to describe it as a four-layer system. It is not a four-layer arrangement. It is a joint responsibility of all four stakeholders against every possible threat, and that is why I call it a quadrangular security grid,” Shah said.
He laid emphasis on heightened vigilance against cross-border smuggling and infiltration aided by unmanned aerial vehicles.
It must be closely monitored who receives such consignments and who uses the material sent from across the border, he said, adding that the force should have live coordination with civil authorities and district police to tackle such threats effectively.
“Target-oriented action will also have to be taken,” Shah said.
The home minister also emphasised the strategic importance of developing border villages under the Centre’s Vibrant Villages Programme and said the BSF should take the lead in ensuring deeper engagement with frontier communities.
He said efforts should be made to ensure “100 per cent saturation” of welfare schemes of both the Centre and state governments in border villages so that residents remain integrated with the national development process.
Shah also called for sustained outreach to students and youth in border regions, saying BSF personnel should maintain regular interaction with children and young people studying in primary, secondary and higher secondary schools.
“The new generation has to be made aware,” he said.
The home minister said the BSF, the Army and citizens together could form the backbone of a strong security structure in border areas, with support from the local administration completing the larger “quadrangular security grid” envisioned for national security.
Shah also said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s national security framework had undergone transformation.
