Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a very ambitious goal for the Narendra Modi government: To make India “infiltrator-free” after a very short time.
Speaking at the valedictory session of the Intelligence Bureau’s National Security Strategy Conference in New Delhi on August 25, Shah said stronger internal security would be a key to India's development and long-term stability.
In a strong stance on illegal immigration, Shah said that “This country is not a Dharamshala,” arguing that only Indian citizens have the right to live in the country. He also described illegal infiltrators as a threat to national security, the economy and India's demographic balance.
Four-Pronged Border Security Approach
Shah said the government has been working with all states sharing India’s land borders for eight months. During those visits, it shared with the Centre a document describing what it referred to as a “quadrangular” approach to border security.
The strategy works with border guarding forces, state and district administrations, central government and local residents. Our goal is to develop a better security network that will detect and prevent illegal infiltration.
The Home Minister’s comments are part of a wider government push to strengthen India’s internal security. At the conference he called upon security agencies to anticipate emerging threats rather than waiting for them to become major problems.
Internal Security Linked To India’s Development
Shah also linked national security with the government’s long-term development vision. To achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047 would require stronger internal security, he said.
The National Security Strategy Conference focused on challenges that are going to shape India in the next 15 to 20 years. Shah told officials to study these trends and put in place strategies before potential threats become major crises.
There is also terrorism, narcotics, radicalisation and cyber misinformation in addition to infiltration. Shah called for better coordination between central agencies and state police forces to tackle these problems.
Government’s Wider Security Push
Shah also mentioned recent counter-terrorism operations and Centre-State coordination as examples of how security agencies can work together.
He called for the implementation of the government’s new counter-terrorism doctrine, “PRAHAR,” and urged states to strengthen measures against narcotics trafficking.
The latest announcement will focus on India’s land borders and the identification of illegal entrants. Shah has set a clear political and security objective but implementation will depend on coordination between central agencies, state governments and border forces.
His comments reinforce the government’s increasingly aggressive stance on illegal immigration and border security, and the Centre is now trying to move from monitoring infiltration to preventing it through a coordinated nationwide strategy.
