Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, today inaugurated two border outposts in Bhuj, Gujarat, and interacted with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi, the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Secretary of Border Management, the Director General of the BSF and several senior officials were present on this occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that BSF personnel live in extremely harsh climatic and difficult geographical conditions, however, upon visiting this place and seeing them standing guard at India’s borders with smiling faces, one feels that, in comparison, our own work is quite simple. Union Home Minister asserted that if the BSF personnel do not tire, then we have absolutely no right to feel weary.

Shri Amit Shah said that, over the 60 years since its inception, the BSF has shouldered the responsibility of securing the country’s two most challenging borders. He added that BSF personnel deployed along these borders have to face every conceivable condition, enduring temperatures ranging from -45 degrees to +45 degrees. In some regions, there lies the rugged desert of Kutch and the marshlands of Sir Creek and Harami Nala; elsewhere, BSF personnel are required to perform their duties while deployed amidst the sand dunes of Rajasthan, enduring temperatures soaring. Shri Shah added that—spanning from the icy peaks of Kashmir and the forests of the Sundarbans to the shores of Gangasagar, and extending to the hilly and forested terrains of Meghalaya and Assam—the BSF has, over the past six decades, admirably fulfilled its responsibility as the “First Line of Defence.” Two thousand personnel of the Force have made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. It is for this very reason that the Government of India and the country’s 1.4 billion citizens hold the BSF in high esteem and are able to sleep in peace.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah stated that a center has been established in Banaskantha, with the aim of enabling the general public to gain insight into the arduous duties performed by BSF personnel. He noted that over the past month alone, more than 2.50 lakh people have visited this center to learn about and understand the nature of BSF duties. Shri Shah mentioned that, initially, a survey was conducted using feedback forms to solicit the public’s views regarding the BSF’s work. At that time, many women wrote that they would feel immense pride if their sons and daughters were to join the BSF upon growing up. Living such a demanding life for the sake of the nation is, indeed, a monumental undertaking. The feedback form has now been made available online for the citizens of the country.

Shri Amit Shah said that upon assuming office as the Union Home Minister, a review of the BSF revealed that the Harami Nala and Sir Creek region lagged somewhat behind in terms of security preparedness. The Home Minister noted that a comprehensive action plan was formulated to establish a ‘leak-proof’ security grid in every respect—initiating work on watchtowers, connecting roads, drinking water supply, medical facilities, accommodation arrangements, and new fencing. He added that within the next two years, this region of ours will be permanently secured against the malicious gaze of the enemy.