Border Management — Practice Questions
UPSC-pattern practice questions on border management with explanations — Integrated Check Posts, the Land Boundary Agreement, coastal security and Vibrant Villages.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
Which one of the following bodies is responsible for creating and managing Integrated Check Posts on India’s land borders?
Solution
The Land Ports Authority of India (statutory body under the LPAI Act, 2010, Ministry of Home Affairs) develops and manages ICPs such as Attari and Petrapole. The BRO builds strategic roads; customs officers work at ICPs but do not run them; NHAI is for national highways.
Answer: A
With reference to the India–Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, consider the following statements:
- It was given effect by the Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, 2015.
- Under it, India transferred 111 enclaves to Bangladesh.
- Under it, sovereignty over the Teen Bigha corridor was transferred to Bangladesh.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 2 are correct — India transferred 111 enclaves and received 51. Statement 3 is wrong: the Teen Bigha corridor was leased to Bangladesh in perpetuity in 1992 to connect its Dahagram–Angarpota enclave; sovereignty remains with India.
Answer: B
Consider the following statements regarding coastal security in India:
- The Indian Navy is responsible for overall maritime security, including coastal and offshore security.
- The Indian Coast Guard is responsible for coastal security in territorial waters, including areas patrolled by the coastal police.
- The Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) for maritime domain awareness is located at Gurugram.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
All three are correct. This division of roles was set in 2009 after the 26/11 attackers came by sea. State marine police patrol near-shore waters through coastal police stations; IMAC fuses data from the coastal radar chain and other sources.
Answer: D
The Vibrant Villages Programme, approved in 2023, covers villages along the northern border in which of the following?
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Sikkim
- Rajasthan
- Ladakh
- Himachal Pradesh
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
As approved in February 2023, the programme covers the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Rajasthan lies on the western border with Pakistan and was not part of it.
Answer: C
Mains
How has India’s coastal security architecture changed since the 2008 Mumbai attacks? Identify the gaps that remain.
Solution
Introduction: The ten 26/11 attackers reached Mumbai by sea, exposing weak surveillance and unclear responsibility along India’s 7,516.6 km coastline.
Body:
- Clear roles (2009): Navy — overall maritime security; Coast Guard — coastal security in territorial waters; State marine police — near-shore patrolling.
- Surveillance: coastal radar chain; IMAC, Gurugram; Joint Operations Centres; IFC-IOR (2018) for regional data sharing.
- Coordination: National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security under the Cabinet Secretary; Sagar Kavach exercises.
- Gaps: manpower and training of marine police; tracking thousands of small fishing boats; coordination among many agencies; maintenance of coastal police infrastructure.
Conclusion: The architecture is now layered and better networked; the next step is strong last-mile capacity in the States and full vessel tracking.
“Organised crime and terrorism along India’s borders are two faces of the same coin.” Examine with examples, and suggest measures to break this nexus.
Solution
Introduction: Organised crime supplies terrorism with money, routes and weapons; terrorism in turn provides protection and markets to criminal networks. Border regions, with porous terrain, are where the two meet.
Body:
- Drugs: heroin from the Golden Crescent into Punjab and J&K and from the Golden Triangle into the North-East funds militancy (“narco-terror”).
- Arms: trafficking across the Myanmar border; drone drops along the Punjab border.
- Money: counterfeit currency through Bangladesh and Nepal routes; hawala networks.
- Logistics: the 1993 Bombay blasts used a smuggling network to land explosives on the Raigad coast.
- Measures: technology-led surveillance (CIBMS, anti-drone systems); financial intelligence (FIU-IND, PMLA, UAPA terror-financing provisions); NCB and DRI coordination; NIA’s mandate over counterfeit currency and arms trafficking (2019); cooperation with neighbours; border-area development to deny recruits.
Conclusion: Breaking the nexus means following the money and the routes, not only the gunmen — a joint task of border forces, financial intelligence and diplomacy.