India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also give out the development being undertaken in these areas under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme.
Approach · directive: “examine / give out”
What it asks · Examine disputes and security threats on the China and Pakistan borders, and describe development and infrastructure under BADP and BIM.
The question has 3 parts — answer each
- Examine the conflicting issues along the borders with China and Pakistan
- Examine the security challenges along these borders: traditional, non-traditional and terrain
- Give out the development being undertaken in border areas under BADP and the BIM scheme
Open with · India's northern and western borders run through high mountains, deserts and marshes, and both are marked by unresolved disputes.
Cover
- China: an undefined LAC, differing perceptions, transgressions and clashes (Galwan 2020), and China's infrastructure and 'model villages' near the line.
- Pakistan: LoC ceasefire violations, infiltration and cross-border terrorism; the Sir Creek dispute.
- Non-traditional threats: drones dropping arms and narcotics, smuggling, fake currency and tunnels.
- BADP: meets special needs of people living near the international border — roads, schools, health, water and livelihoods.
- BIM: fencing, floodlighting, border roads, border outposts, integrated check posts and technology-based surveillance.
- Complementary: the Vibrant Villages Programme for northern border villages, to curb out-migration and strengthen the population as 'eyes and ears'.
Close with · Secure borders need both hard infrastructure and prosperous border communities; sustained investment and diplomacy must go together.
Add value (verified)
- Under BADP, 38,715 projects worth ₹7,935.05 crore have been completed in 16 States and 2 UTs (PIB, March 2026). PIB — Border Area Development Scheme (MHA, 11 March 2026) ↗“Under Border Area Development Programme, 38715 projects of estimated cost ₹7935.05 crore have been completed in 16 States and 2 UTs in various sectors including livelihood projects.”
- Since then: on 21 October 2024 India and China reached a consensus on disengagement in Depsang and Demchok, and patrolling to traditional areas has resumed (MoD year-end review 2024). PIB — Ministry of Defence, Year End Review 2024 ↗“on 21 October 2024, broad consensus has been achieved to restore ground situation based on principles of Equal and Mutual Security. Consensus achieved includes disengagement and relocation of troops from the friction areas of Depsang and Demchok followed by joint verification.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2024, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 300 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
India's northern and western borders run through high mountains, deserts and marshes, and both carry unresolved disputes: an undemarcated Line of Actual Control with China and a contested Line of Control with Pakistan.
Conflicting issues
- China: an undefined LAC with differing perceptions in the western (Ladakh), middle and eastern (Arunachal) sectors; China's claims on Arunachal Pradesh, its roads and 'model villages' near the line, and the Galwan clash of June 2020, the first fatal one in decades (since then, an October 2024 consensus restored patrolling in Depsang and Demchok).
- Pakistan: the unsettled LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, the Siachen glacier, and the Sir Creek estuary where the boundary and maritime zones remain disputed.
Security challenges
- Traditional: transgressions and face-offs on the LAC; ceasefire violations, infiltration and cross-border terrorism across the LoC.
- Non-traditional: drones dropping arms and narcotics into Punjab and J&K, smuggling, fake currency, tunnels under the fence, and cyber and information operations.
- Terrain and logistics: high-altitude posts, harsh winters and thin road and air links that slow reinforcement, against China's faster infrastructure build-up.
Development under BADP and BIM
- BADP: a centrally supported programme for people living near the international border, funding roads, schools, health centres, drinking water, sports and livelihood projects, with priority to villages closest to the border; 38,715 projects worth ₹7,935 crore had been completed across 16 States and 2 UTs by March 2026.
- BIM: an umbrella scheme (2021–26) for fencing, floodlighting, border roads, border outposts and integrated check posts, plus technology-based surveillance such as the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System on vulnerable stretches.
- Complementary: the Vibrant Villages Programme (2023) for northern border villages, to check out-migration and keep local communities as the forces' 'eyes and ears'.
Secure borders need hard infrastructure and prosperous border communities in equal measure; sustained investment must go together with steady diplomacy.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.