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India’s international face during conflicts have not been of statements or suggestion but that of action. The Indo-China conflict that re-ignited in 2020 with the Galwan Valley clash might not have resolved itself despite several diplomatic and demilitarization talks, PM Narendra Modi-led government has devised a three pronged strategy to fortify Indian soil against Xi Jinping’s aggressive efforts.
Let’s take a look
Three elements that have been newly implemented include:
-Raising seven new Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) battalions
-Launching a vibrant village scheme
-Clearing the Shinkun The tunnel
The three policies comes as a counter to China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) implemented three-tier border security in Tibet and Xinjiang. China has instrumented border villages coupled with border guards, district police and PLA reserve in the depth areas to enhance their fortify Tibet project.
Increased ITBP battalions
Seven new battalions would mean an approximate of 8,400 new defense personnel. This means India will replicate the border arrangement in LAC with Pakistan along LoC, wherein Border Security Force (BSF) forms the front line.
The 3488 km LAC will now have some 56 battalions deployed against China as the frontier force backed by local Indian Army.
Who are ITBP?
Dubbed the ‘mountain force’, India’s ITBP are deployed in in border states on heights more than 12000 feet and in sub-zero temperatures. The defense personnel in this division specialize in mountain combats and defense.
Border Village Scheme
Increased recruitment for ITBP from border states like Sikkim, Uttarakhand will incentivize employees to stay put in their villages, than making the big move to far away cities.
The newly recruited ITBP will be posted in 47 stations- including those in Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Arunachal Pradesh. Further, new staging camps will be established at rarefied heights to provide food, oil, arms and ammunition to the manned border posts, Hindustan Times reported.
The effort of raising border villages indulging a total fund of ₹4800 crore, the Vibrant Village Scheme will hold youth in their villages, providing them with gainful employment, and providing India with a better connectivity with border villages.
Experts feel this will be phenomenal in India’s defense strategy as trend shows youth leaving border villages for urban cities, in turn affecting the defense along the LAC.
Clearing the Shinkun The tunnel
The decision to have an all weather connectivity axis from Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh via Manali-Atal Tunnel-Darcha-Shinkun La tunnel-Padum-Nimu axis, will enhance border defense in LAC and Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) with Pakistan in Siachen Glacier.
The road is flanked Zanskar on the west and Himalayas on the east cannot be targeted by enemy artillery or rockets and will become the main feeder route for the Indian Army to deploy on both frontiers, reads a Hindustan Times report.
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