India’s territorial borders, both land, and sea ache from diverse physical, ethnic and cultural contradictions.
Population can play an important role in securing our interests. The people living in these areas are the most important ingredient towards a secure and safe border area.
Steps required to deny local support to militants:
1. Economic factors: lack of jobs, poverty, imbalance in regional development, inequality in society
2. Political – lack of local people representatives in decision making of management of border areas, vote bank politics
3. Social factors – feeling of alienation due to weak integration with mainstream India ex North East Insurgency.
4. Inefficient Governance: Corruption at local level leading to feeling of looting of resources, also lack of effective communication with locals by those in Power (failure to interact regularly).
5. Preventing glorification of terrorists.
Measure to overcome negative perception among locals:
1. Political- Grassroots democracy i.e., involving locals to decision making; exposing the identity politics thatt ry to reap benefit of anti-national sentiments.
2. Economic- Providing jobs and bridging the development gap in the region.
3. Public Diplomacy – persuading celebrities and apolitical social leaders to convey the message & policies of government.
4. Crackdown on corruption at local level.
5. Regular interaction with mainstream India (Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat campaign).
Managing locals will go a long way in managing border areas as the intelligence network will be strengthened and issues of militancy will be nipped in the beginning stage itself by community support.