Agencies | New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said India has been freed from terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxalism in the Northeast under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing it as a significant achievement in the country’s internal security landscape.
Addressing the Land Border Districts’ Superintendents of Police Conference-2026 in New Delhi, Shah said the country’s success reflected the coordinated efforts of security forces, state governments and local administrations.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has been freed from Naxalism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, which is an indicator of our collective success,” he said.
The Home Minister said India was developing a Smart Border system and expressed confidence that the country’s border security architecture would become one of the most modern in the world in the coming years.
He said the conference had institutionalised a comprehensive approach to border management and would help address operational challenges, formulate policy measures, and strengthen coordination among stakeholders. Shah added that the government would also adopt a holistic strategy to enhance coastal security.
Highlighting the Centre’s security framework, Shah said the government, in coordination with border guarding forces, state and district administrations, central agencies and local communities, was building a robust four-tier security grid.
“A secure border, a prosperous border region and a vigilant society together can make the country secure,” he said.
The Home Minister also reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling narcotics and illegal infiltration. He said the Centre aimed to inflict a decisive blow to the drug menace over the next three years and was creating a strong security mechanism to make India’s borders infiltration-free.
Referring to the government’s broader governance approach, Shah said earlier “problems were permanent and solutions were temporary,” but the Modi government was addressing issues at their roots to ensure lasting solutions.
He said investment in border infrastructure had increased by 400 per cent under the current government, alongside the adoption of scientific and technology-driven measures to strengthen border security.
Shah also highlighted the Vibrant Villages Programme, under which border villages are being developed to curb migration, generate employment and ensure the effective implementation of welfare schemes. He noted that Prime Minister Modi had redefined the country’s last village as its “first village.”
On demographic changes in border regions, Shah said the government had launched a demographic mission to study abnormal population shifts, identify contributing factors and recommend corrective measures. He alleged that illegal infiltration was the primary cause of demographic changes in many border areas and stressed the need for timely reporting of such developments from the grassroots to the highest levels.
The Home Minister said the government was fencing the 1,610-km India-Myanmar border at an estimated cost of ₹31,000 crore to strengthen border management.
He said the government’s priorities included preventing proxy wars, illegal infiltration, radicalisation, narcotics trafficking, smuggling, drone threats, cybercrime, organised crime and abnormal demographic changes, while making border areas more secure and economically vibrant.
Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Directors General of Police from border states, and other senior officials attended the conference.
