The Centre has given its approval for construction of 422 composite Border Outposts (BOPs) along the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, which would cost Rs 2,584.85 crore.

The ministry said 731 BOPs had been sanctioned along the Indo-Pakistan border, of which 675 have been completed. Similarly, of the 422 BOPs, which have necessary infrastructure for accommodation, logistic support and combat functions, 326 are to be constructed along the Indo-Bangladesh border by March 2024, said the Ministry of Home Affairs.

India shares her borders with seven nations and the boundary with Bangladesh is 4,096.7 km long, China 3,488.0 km and Pakistan 3,323.0 km long.

The MHA had cleared construction of a 2,091 km fence with Pakistan, which was to have been completed last month, the MHA report pointed out. Similarly, it had sanctioned Rs 2078.80 for floodlighting at the border. Of that only 35.04 km is left and would be completed by next September.

Like wise, the 3,145-km border with Bangladesh, which is porous and a route for different kinds of smuggling, has been covered by physical fencing, and the remaining 951.70 km will be covered by physical and non-physical barriers, the MHA’s annual report said. Floodlighting for 2,681.99 km of the 3,077.549 km has been completed and the remaining work will be completed by next March, the annual report pointed out.

The ministry report said the government has undertaken construction of roads and BOPs along the China border in the UT of Ladakh, which was the theatre for the standoff with the PLA. But, the ministry did not share details in the report.

Mother tongue survey of 576 languages

The MHA has successfully completed a country-wide mother tongue survey (MTS) of 576 languages that is also accompanied by field videography, except for Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where field work is in progress. The exercise is part of the regular research activities of the Linguistic Survey of India (LSI), the ministry said in its report, which has been carried in the country since the 6th Five-Year Plan. The ministry has planned to set up a web archive at the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to preserve and analyse the original flavour of each indigenous mother tongue. Continuing with its earlier publications, the volume on LSI Jharkhand has been finalised and that of LSI Himachal Pradesh is nearing completion, the MHA report said.

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