Amit Shah Outlines New Vision for Smarter Border Security

Addressing the Land Border Districts' Superintendents of Police Conference 2026 in New Delhi, Shah said the conference has given a structured framework to discussions on border security and will help shape future policies to address emerging challenges.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said India is building one of the world's most advanced border security systems through a comprehensive approach that combines modern technology, stronger infrastructure and close coordination between security agencies, state governments and local communities.

Addressing the Land Border Districts' Superintendents of Police Conference 2026 in New Delhi, Shah said the conference has given a structured framework to discussions on border security and will help shape future policies to address emerging challenges. He added that the government also plans to adopt a similar integrated approach to strengthen security along India's coastal borders.

The conference was attended by Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Directors General of Police from border states and senior government officials.

Smart Border strategy focuses on long-term security

Shah said the government's Smart Border vision is transforming India's border management by creating a four-layer security framework that brings together border guarding forces, district administrations, central agencies and local residents. According to him, a secure border, prosperous border communities and an alert society together form the foundation of national security.

He said the government has increased investment in border infrastructure by 400 per cent while adopting scientific methods to strengthen surveillance and security. Through the Vibrant Villages Programme, border villages are being developed with better employment opportunities, improved infrastructure and wider access to government welfare schemes in an effort to reduce migration from frontier areas.

The Home Minister also referred to the Demography Mission, which has been launched to study demographic changes, identify unusual population growth patterns and recommend measures where necessary. He said illegal infiltration remains one of the major factors contributing to demographic changes in several border regions.

Government targets infiltration and cross-border crime

Shah said India has made significant progress in tackling Naxalism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, describing these achievements as the result of coordinated efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. He added that the government is now focusing on dealing a major blow to narcotics trafficking over the next three years while continuing efforts to eliminate illegal infiltration.

The Home Minister said the government is replacing temporary solutions with long-term strategies by building an integrated security grid that allows faster coordination and better information sharing from the local level to national authorities.

He also highlighted the ongoing project to fence the 1,610-kilometre India-Myanmar border, with an estimated investment of ₹31,000 crore. According to Shah, the project is intended to curb illegal infiltration, proxy warfare, smuggling, narcotics trafficking, radicalisation, organised crime, cybercrime and drone-related threats while making border regions safer, more prosperous and better connected for the people who live there.