India's National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has praised Prime Minister Modi-led government at the Centre saying how it in the last 10 years paid very high attention to the security and management of our borders. Speaking at the BSF Investiture Ceremony & Rustamji Memorial Lecture 2024, Doval emphasized the importance of protecting India's borders which is crucial for the nation's external, and internal security and fast economic growth. The NSA also spoke about being technologically advanced and how it can help us in developing round-the-clock and reliable systems.
"The last 10 years have been the time in which the government has paid very-very high attention to the security and management of our borders. There is no Diwali in which our Prime Minister has not gone to the frontiers of our country. Every Diwali, he spends it with the armed forces, he wants to celebrate it with the soldiers, he meets officers from BSF, ITBP, Army and other units posted there," Ajit Doval said.
The NSA further shared how the Prime Minister personally took an interest in ensuring that all the Governors of the 16 border states should visit the bordering districts.
The Prime Minister directed his cabinet ministers and a lot of work was done in surveying 12,000 villages along the border on his instructions because he is one political leader at the top who understands the gravity and the importance of our borders, Doval said.
Doval mentioned how Prime Minister Modi used to visit border areas in Gujarat very often.
The NSA lauded the Home Ministry for doing commendable work. "I must say, in the last few years the amount of attention that they have given in not only empowering the central police forces but for having better laws, coordination, and better equipment."
"What I am trying to say is that from the biggest to the best, if that transformation has got to be brought about then it will be something that we will be very proud of," Doval said.
"To bring that transformation, one of the things I feel is we should be thinking about technology upgrading. Having the technology, the lesser manpower requirement, the lesser manpower requirement, will create an opportunity to have more round-the-clock reliable systems," Ajit Doval said.
'Jameen par jo kabja hai wo apna hai,' says Ajit Doval
Doval further said India's economic progress would have been much faster if "we had more secure borders".
"In the foreseeable future, I don't think our borders are going to be as secure as we will require for our fast economic growth. So, the responsibility on border guarding forces has become very, very heavy. They have got to remain on alert 24X7 in perpetuity. They have got to see that our national interests and country are protected," he said.
Borders are important because that is the limit which "defines our sovereignty", he said.
"Jameen par jo kabja hai wo apna hai, baki to sab adalat aur kachehri ka kaam hai, usse farak nahi padta (The land which is in our possession is ours, the rest is the matter of courts and that is immaterial)," Doval said.
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