In addition to establishing a new operating base for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The centre today approved the recruiting of 9,400 more soldiers to form seven new border battalions.
Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, tells reporters during a post-cabinet news conference that the idea had been approved during the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present in the meeting.
The 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), which runs along India’s eastern border, is to be guarded by the ITBP. It has roughly 90,000 men and was established in the wake of the 1962 Chinese assault.
The need for extra soldiers:
According to Mr. Thakur, the battalions and the sector headquarters will be operational by 2025 or 2026. He claimed that a one-time expense of 1,808.15 crore is anticipated to be made for land acquisition. The construction of office and residential buildings, and the purchase of arms and ammunition are also included. While a recurring annual expense of 963.68 crore will be made under the heading of salaries and rations for the additional staff.
According to officials, the addition of 47 border posts will result in 26% rise in the strength of these bases. The hiring of 9,400 new employees will result in a 10% increase. 176 border posts are now operational by the police in the LAC.
Why the decision is necessary?
The centre made the decision in light of hostilities between Indian and Chinese forces in December of last year. Which happened in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, a Yangtze region, during which several Indian troops were reportedly hurt. Army Chief Manoj Pandey has stressed numerous times that the situation on the Sino-Indian border is still “stable but unpredictable” both before and after this event.
Since April 2020, Indian and Chinese forces have been engaged in a violent standoff in Ladakh. Conflicts between the two forces occurred as a result of this in June 2020 in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan valley. Five of the seven points of tension in Ladakh have since been resolved through negotiations. The same are at the military and diplomatic levels.
For more news, click here
