Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated and laid foundation stones for various Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) projects worth ₹189 crore in Siliguri, West Bengal. The projects include the administrative building of SSB's Frontier Headquarters on 80 acres, the 19th Battalion in Thakurganj, the 12th Battalion in Kishanganj, and a Transit Camp at New Jalpaiguri, aimed at providing administrative and residential facilities for SSB personnel.
The event highlighted significant land allocations for border security, with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari providing 1,139 acres of land to BSF and SSB within 45 days of assuming office, addressing land requests that had been pending since 2014. Additionally, the government has received in-principle approval for 560 acres of land to strengthen the Siliguri Corridor's security.
The SSB is responsible for guarding India's open borders with Nepal (1,751 km since 2001) and Bhutan (700 km since 2004), considered the most challenging border security assignment due to the unfenced nature of these borders. The Siliguri Corridor, which connects eight states and three international borders (Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh), is being secured through a triangular security grid approach.
Infrastructure developments include the Delhi-Siliguri high-speed rail corridor among seven approved in the 2026-27 Budget, expected to reduce travel time to "just a few hours" within 2-3 years. The Amrit Bharat Scheme is transforming Siliguri and Jalpaiguri stations, while the Vibrant Villages Programme with a ₹6,839 crore budget aims to connect border villages and establish emotional connections with residents, particularly along Bangladesh and Bhutan borders.
The government has made the complete rendition of 'Vande Mataram' part of cultural programmes through parliamentary legislation, aiming to instill patriotism in future generations. Prime Minister Modi's 'Saptadhara' initiative focuses on seven streams of national strength: manufacturing power, defence strength, agriculture and food processing, green and blue economy, technology and innovation, Gati Shakti (Infrastructure), and India's soft power, with targets including 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 and eight new semiconductor plants in three years.