Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the 60th Raising Day celebrations of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) as the chief guest at the SSB Recruit Training Center in Tezpur. Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Home Secretary, Director General SSB and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Home Minister paid tribute to the 51 jawans of the force who made the supreme sacrifice for the security of the country. He said that last year alone, five SSB personnel sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. He said that the country is able to sleep peacefully only because of the soldiers who are willing to give the supreme sacrifice to protect the country.
Amit Shah while remembering Paramvir Chakra awardee Karam Singh ji on his death anniversary, said that Karam Singh ji had sacrificed his life giving an example of great bravery and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, in his memory, named an island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Karam Singh Island.
Amit Shah said that today many projects related to SSB have been inaugurated at a cost of Rs 226 crore, which include 45th Battalion Headquarters Veerpur, 20th Battalion Headquarters Sitamarhi, housing at Reserve Battalion Headquarters Barasat, barracks, mess, hospitals and various other facilities like quarter guards, stores and garages. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken many steps in the last nine years to improve facilities for all the Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPFs) including SSB. He said that the Government of India has released a postage stamp on the occasion of 60th diamond jubilee of SSB. He expressed confidence that this postage stamp will always symbolize and keep the dutifulness of SSB alive in front of the country.
The Home Minister said that the SSB, deployed in the service and security of the nation with the motto of Service, Security and Brotherhood, has a very glorious history. SSB was established in 1963 after the India-China war. Thereafter, when Atal ji implemented the policy of One Border, One Force, SSB has been very dutifully manning India-Nepal border since 2001 and India-Bhutan border since 2004. He said that SSB is guarding the 2,450 km long open borders with full alertness and be it forest, mountain, river or plateau, SSB personnel have never compromised with duty in any type of weather.
Amit Shah said that among all the CAPFs guarding the borders, SSB is a unique organization which has not only secured the borders, but has also faced terrorists and Naxalites in difficult areas. The force has also done the work of meticulously storing all the cultural, linguistic, geographical and historical information of all the villages near India-China, India-Nepal, and India-Bhutan border. He said that this unique work helps in connecting all such villages with the country through their cultural and linguistic history and, it also helps in confirming and strengthening India’s claim wherever there are border disputes. He said that these operations demonstrate the versatility of the SSB, and have greatly benefited the country in maintaining the cultural integrity of India’s borders and strengthening India’s claims in disputed areas.
Union Home Minister said that in the last one year, SSB has arrested more than five thousand smugglers and seized 24 thousand kilograms of drugs, 144 weapons and a huge amount of ammunition. It has also rescued about 500 innocent persons from human trafficking. He said that SSB soldiers, along with protecting the borders with friendly countries like Nepal and Bhutan, are also performing duty in the Naxal affected areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. He said that SSB along with CRPF and BSF have marginalized the Naxal movement. He expressed confidence that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the entire country will be 100 percent free from the Naxal problem within the next three years. In the fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, SSB soldiers along with CRPF, BSF, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Army have fought shoulder to shoulder, made sacrifices and have forged legendary tales of their bravery.
Amit Shah said that SSB has also performed well in the field of sports. He said that SSB has won 234 medals this year in national and international competitions. The Ministry of Home Affairs have decided to formulate a policy at the central level to promote sports in all our CAPFs and soon this policy will come in front of you. Shri Shah added that he himself is looking after that how the benefits of this policy will be available at barrack level with scientific arrangements and the Home Secretary is also monitoring it. Shri Shah also congratulated the SSB jawans who won bronze medal in athletics at the Asian Games.
Union Home Minister praised the work done by SSB in the field of women empowerment. He said that SSB has set a target of increasing the number of women personnel in the force to six percent by 2026 and has already achieved the target of 4 percent. Apart from this, SSB women soldiers have also taken part in challenging duties like UN Mission and Amarnath Yatra.
Amit Shah said that the Vibrant Village Scheme is the gift of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the border villages. He said that this scheme has been brought with a new conception that the border-village is not the last village of the country but the first village of the country, and the country begins from there. He said that Modi government is moving forward with this new concept and work culture. SSB is also doing good work for the overall development of villages with 100 percent saturation. SSB has played a big role in taking the schemes of Government of India and the State Governments to the grassroots level. SSB has also prepared a good model of making the villagers a partner in border security.
Amit Shah said that under Ayushman CAPF, cards have been given to more than 40 lakh CAPF personnel, 11,000 new houses have been built in the last 5 years under the housing scheme, about 52,000 vacant houses have been allotted through the e-Awas portal, the Prime Minister Scholarship Scheme has been made scientific so that it reaches every child. Along with this, the rules for Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar have also been simplified.