Govt sanctions Rs 1,260 cr to upgrade ITBP posts

Government has sanctioned Rs 1,260 crore to fortify and upgrade jawans' facilities in far-flung ITBP posts located along the Sino-Indian border.

The funds will be used to enhance the living conditions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police border guards at 69 posts in the icy Himalayan locations along the 3,488km Sino-Indian frontier.

"At 69 out posts (of ITBP), we want to give solar-backed power in an eco-friendly way so that our jawans in front posts have electricity 24 hours...This is one of the big spending that we are going to do in ITBP and (also) upgrade forward posts," Minister of State for Home R P N Singh told reporters on the sidelines of the 52nd Raising Day celebrations of the paramilitary here.

Singh, who officiated as the chief guest of the event, said the idea behind sanctioning the amount was not only to make these border posts "strong" but also provide the interior locations with "water and electricity" as the troops of the paramilitary work in extremely harsh weather conditions.

"These troopers work at an altitude of 9,000-18,000 feet and we at the Ministry of Home Affairs are determined to help the ITBP as much as we can," Singh said.

The Minister complimented the force for their efforts in providing relief and rescue during the recent flash floods and rains in Uttarakhand.

"We know about your problems and we are trying to address them," he said in his speech made to the troops at its base in south Delhi here.

The ITBP was raised as a border guarding force in the wake of the 1962 Chinese aggression and the force has 56 battalions (56,000 personnel) at present.

Apart from border guarding duties, the force is also deployed to render a variety of internal security duties in the country, including conducting anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.