West Bengal To Launch New Border Guard Award And Police Recruitment Drive

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state will institute the 'Seema Mitra' award starting in 2027 to honor outstanding work by BSF, SSB, and state police personnel. He made the announcement on Sunday during a Diwali visit to a border outpost in Hingalganj in the North 24 Parganas district. A special selection committee will be formed to choose the winners for this new award. During his visit, the Chief Minister also offered sweets and flowers to security forces and apologized to BSF and CRPF personnel for bad treatment and remarks from the previous state government under Mamata Banerjee.

Security Plans

Adhikari claimed the previous administration failed to give enough land to the BSF for fencing around 600 km of the India-Bangladesh border. He stated that his BJP government handed over the necessary land right after taking office and will provide any extra land needed. West Bengal shares a border of more than 2,200 km with Bangladesh. The Chief Minister stated that every illegal infiltrator must be found and sent back, adding that the country belongs to Indian citizens. He also mentioned that coordination meetings between border forces and local police should take place at both district and police station levels.

Police Force

The Chief Minister noted that the state currently has 105 police personnel for every one lakh people, which is below the national average of 155. To fix this, the state cabinet has approved 29,000 police recruitments since May, and appointment letters have already been given to over 11,600 new recruits. Additionally, the state plans to set up more police stations in border areas and raise two India Reserve Battalions with help from the Centre.

Context

Border security in West Bengal involves close coordination between state law enforcement and central agencies due to the long international boundary. Police recruitment and infrastructure upgrades aim to address staffing gaps in frontier districts. Border development efforts also align with national schemes focused on comprehensive growth in remote areas.