GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reviewed the India-Bangladesh border situation in the Mankachar sector of Assam.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Shah inspected the border from an observation post. On the occasion, a flag march was conducted in his presence by the personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh.
BSF sources said the Home Minister discussed issues such as infiltration, cattle-smuggling, fencing of the boundary etc with senior officials of the BSF at a meeting at the Sadartilla camp.
After arriving at the place by a chopper, Shah and Sarma offered their prayers at a local temple. Hundreds of locals had flocked to the area. Shah briefly interacted with some of them.
Later at Tamulpur in Bodoland Territorial Region, Shah laid the foundation stone of a Central Workshop and Stores, the second of its kind in the country. It will supply arms and ammunition to the central armed paramilitary forces in the Northeast and parts of West Bengal.
"The Centre will invest Rs 50 crore for this project. It will further strengthen Assam's security," the Home Minister said addressing a gathering.
He highlighted how the Narendra Modi government restored peace in Assam by signing separate peace accords with myriad insurgent groups.
"When I first came to Bodoland seven years ago, the BJP was not in power in Assam. The youth were then fighting with arms in their hands. There was the politics of violence. Hundreds of youth got killed. We had promised if we capture power, we will restore peace," Shah said.
Over 9000 rebels surrendered and joined the mainstream. Under the leadership of PM Modi and due to the efforts of Sarma, the Ministry of Home Affairs signed peace accords with the various groups and established peace in Assam, the Home Minister said.
He said he was happy that within a little over two years, 90% of the conditions of the Bodos were fulfilled. "We have fulfilled the promises that we made to the people of Bodoland," he said.
On the first anniversary of the Sarma-led government on Tuesday, Shah will launch its own newsletter.
Titled Asom Barta (Voice of Assam), the newsletter will enable the people of the state to stay connected to the government and its policies. It will also update readers about the latest programmes and policies of the government.
In the first phase, the government's target is to reach one crore readers via various technologies such as WhatsApp, Telegram, E-mail, SMS and other social media platforms.