Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday that the Modi government has followed an entirely different approach on border security, saying it has sent signals across the borders in Jammu and Kashmir and has also boosted morale of people living in border areas.
Delivering keynote address on 'Border States and National Security' at an event orgsed by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) here, Singh said the northeast has undergone a huge transformation during recent years and various steps have been taken to boost rail, air and road connectivity.
Singh, who is Minister for Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) and Minister of State in PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, said that a lot of initiatives have been taken for bordering areas.
He also outlined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed border areas on a high priority.
According to an official release, he said there has been an entirely different approach on how to approach the border security during the last five-six years.
Speaking about Jammu Kashmir, he said this approach has sent signals both ways - across the borders and to those living at the international border and noted that it has boosted the morale of the people living in the bordering areas.
Singh said the government has taken cognizance of difficulties faced by people living in the border areas and initiatives for them include bunkers, toilets, seema bhawans and provision of cattle insurance.
"This has been possible because of the extreme sensitivity of the government towards these people," he added.
Noting that security forces were "perpetually in a war mode nowadays", he said the security forces were earlier trained to fight an enemy from across the borders and not anti-national elements within the country.
The minister said militancy and cross-border terrorism have become a serious challenge and as security dynamics have changed over the years so has obligation of security forces.
He said peace and development have a reciprocal relationship. "If peace is not there, development cannot happen. Similarly, if development is not there, it gives a breeding ground for unrest," he said.
Noting that 'Look East Policy' has been changed to 'Act East Policy', he said northeastern states had socio-cultural proximity to bordering countries and share common eating habits, a common culture and other aspects.
( With inputs from ANI )