The union cabinet on Wednesday sanctioned seven new battalions and an operational border base with a fresh strength of 9,400 personnel for the India-China LAC guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). The proposal was cleared after the meeting of the cabinet that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This move comes at a time when tension between India and China along the LAC continues to remain high. The ITBP is the first line of defence in the Indo-China border. The ITBP was raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression and it is tasked to guard the 3,488-km-long line of actual control (LAC) on India’s eastern flank.
They carry out patrolling along the LAC right from Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. The armies of India and China are engaged in a standoff in Ladakh from 2020. The tension refuses to die down as the Chinese have taken a very provocative approach. The Chinese PLA keeps on carrying out incursions inside Indian territory along the LAC. India cannot afford to take things lightly anymore. In this context the decision to raise seven new battalions of ITBP by the government of India is a decision in the right direction. This will definitely help to keep the border safe and secure.