Effective border management can only be done by developing the border areas. Discuss, in this context, how the Border Area Development Programme can help to solve the problems associated with border areas.

Border Area Development Programme is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

It ensures two objectives:

• Provision of basic amenities for the local population.
• Border Management.

Border area development is essential for border security and management, because of the reasons, like:

• Provision for all-weather roads ensures easy mobilisation of armed forces.
• Prevents dissatisfaction, hence instability in border areas.
• Provision of electricity, water, and food to border-out posts.
• To ensure that people act as eyes and ears of the border police force.

Border Area Development Programme seeks to solve the issues faced by border areas, by:

• Convergence of schemes of state & central government.
• Additional funds for road and rail development under border roads organisation.
• Basic amenities like 24×7 electricity, transport to be made available to people living in difficult terrain, to ease movement of people, etc.

Border Area Development Programme should focus equally on border security & development, use of modern technology, like CIBMS, solar electricity, etc.