New Delhi, May 23
The report of the Group of Ministers on “reforming the national security system” has recommended creation of a separate Department of Border Management within the Ministry of Home Affairs and points out that multiplicity of forces on the same border has led to lack of accountability on the part of the forces.

“In order to pay focussed attention to the issues pertaining to border management it would be desirable to create a separate Department of Border Management within the Ministry of Home Affairs under the overall charge of the Home Secretary,” the report released by the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, along with the External Affairs and Defence Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, and the Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, said here today.

The report pointed out that at present there were instances of more than one force working on the same border and questions of conflict in command and control had been raised frequently.

“To enforce accountability, the principle of ‘one border one force’ may be adopted while considering the deployment of forces at the border,” it said.

The report emphasised that border guarding forces need to be distinguished from other central paramilitary forces and the central police organisations because of their “distinctive functions”.

“It is imperative that the border guarding forces are not deployed in the states to deal with internal disturbances, law and order duties and counter-insurgency operations,” it said, adding that withdrawal of border guarding forces for such duties limited their capabilities to guard the borders effectively.

However, it said while there may be exceptional circumstances where it may be necessary to utilise the services of border guarding forces for performing law and order/counter-insurgency duties, as a rule, these forces should not be withdrawn from the borders.

Since the border guarding force will also have the responsibility bearing on internal security like preventing illegal immigration, carrying out anti-smuggling activities, checking infiltration, collection of intelligence etc, the GoM in its report recommended the ITBP and Assam Rifles should be conferred with powers under the Customs Act and the Criminal Procedure Code as in the case of the BSF. “Whenever a border is placed under the charge of the Army, directly under it or through border guarding forces placed under its operational control, it would be the responsibility of the Army to perform these and allied duties,” it said.

The GoM also recommended that a concerted action needed to be initiated at the earliest by the government to urgently take up the demarcation on the ground of our land boundaries and the settlement of our maritime borders with our neighbours.

The GoM has also proposed introduction of a multi-purpose national identity card (MPNIC) and a work permit for refugees as part of an exercise to check illegal immigration into India which has assumed serious proportions.

The report recommends compulsory registration of citizens and non-citizens in India which would facilitate preparation of a national register of citizens.

It says that non-citizens should be issued identity cards of a different colour and design. The identity cards would be introduced initially in the 20-km border belt and later extended to the hinterland.

The Centre should meet the full cost of the identity card scheme, it said.

Pointing out that the country is yet to fully wake up to the implications of the unchecked immigration for the national security, it says that today we have about 15 million Bangladeshis, 2.2 million Nepalese, 70,000 Sri Lankan Tamils and about one lakh Tibetan migrants living in India. Demographic changes had been brought about in the border belts of West Bengal, several districts in Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya as a result of large-scale illegal migration, it said, adding that even states like Delhi, Maharashtra and Rajasthan had been affected.

“Such large-scale migration had obvious social, economic, political and security implications,” it said adding that unfortunately, action on this subject invariably assumed communal overtones with political parties taking positions to suit the interest of their vote banks. The GoM recommended the Indian Air Force should enhance its lower level air defence surveillance capability through procurement of additional low-level transportable radars as part of efforts to safeguard the sanctity of Indian air space.