Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the concept of a quadrangular security grid at the Land Border Districts’ Superintendents of Police Conference on Thursday.

He urged the forces to shift from a reactive to a proactive approach by ensuring a comprehensive security grid that would strengthen India’s frontier management.

He explained that India’s borders extend for 15,000 kilometres across 18 states and Union Territories, and called upon the forces to take three pledges: a secured border, a prosperous border region, and a vigilant society.

Shah emphasised that in the coming days, the government would move forward holistically towards ensuring coastal border security as well. He noted that the conference would involve discussions on problems related to border security, addressing concerns for their resolution, and formulating appropriate policy measures to strengthen the system.

He declared that India’s border security system, based on the vision of a smart border, would become the most modern in the world. He added that the government was creating a robust system to make the country completely infiltration‑free.

The home minister highlighted that border infrastructure had been increased by 400% and was being taken forward with a scientific approach. He stressed that demographic changes caused by abnormal factors in border areas must be communicated from the grassroots to the highest level at the earliest, as these shifts could have long‑term implications for national security. He underlined the importance of vigilance in monitoring such developments.

Shah also announced that the government was fencing the 1,610‑kilometre India‑Myanmar border at an estimated cost of about ₹31,000 crore.

This project is intended to plug vulnerabilities along the frontier and prevent illegal crossings, smuggling, and other security challenges. The fencing initiative is part of a broader plan to integrate advanced surveillance technology, infrastructure development, and community participation into the quadrangular grid framework.

The quadrangular grid itself is designed to involve multiple stakeholders, including the public, civil administration, local police, and the military, working alongside the Border Security Force.

This integrated approach aims to ensure that India’s borders are not only physically secure but also socially and economically resilient. Shah’s call for a proactive stance reflects the government’s determination to anticipate threats rather than merely respond to them, thereby creating a comprehensive and modern security architecture.

Agencies