Govt. contemplates raising civil border guards along China border, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is considering establishing Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) along the China border.
• BWHGs will be drawn from civilian populations in border areas to support border guarding forces like the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• Currently, 2,279 BWHGs are active only in Rajasthan, where they earn ₹800-900 per day.
• The move aims to enhance intelligence gathering and presence along the 3,488-km border with China, where over 50,000 Army and ITBP personnel have been deployed since 2020.

Detailed Insights:

• The BWHGs will act as an ancillary force to border guarding forces and the Indian Army during emergencies.
• Seven states are authorized to have BWHGs: Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
• The utility of BWHGs was realized during Operation Sindoor, where they helped collect and disseminate information among the border population.
• Since April-May 2020, 26 patrolling points out of 65 in eastern Ladakh are not being patrolled by Indian troops and have become "buffer zones".
• The raising of BWHGs is intended to augment the presence of security forces and improve intelligence collection in the region.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG): A voluntary force drawn from civilian border populations to assist border security.
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP): India's primary border patrol organization for the China border.
• Line of Actual Control (LAC): The de facto border between India and China.