Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), Dec 1 (UNI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said “Jeevan Paryant Kartavya” (Duty Unto Death) is not just a slogan of Border Security Force (BSF) but till date over 1,900 of its personnel have justified it by making the supreme sacrifice.

"Lakhs of Seema Praharis (border guards) have spent the golden period of their lives away from their families in difficult circumstances," he said.



At the 59th Raising Day ceremony of BSF in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, Shah released BSF’s annual magazine-‘Borderman’.

"As the first line of defence of the country's borders, the way BSF has secured the inaccessible borders of the country, the entire country is proud of these brave soldiers," Shah said.

In his address, Shah said that be it the snowy areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the mountains of the North-East, the deserts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the marshy areas of Gujarat or the dense forests of Sundarbans and Jharkhand, BSF has always remained alert and foiled the nefarious motives of the enemy, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

"The BSF has set new standards of service and bravery at the international level even in United Nations peacekeeping missions," the Union Home Minister said.

"A country whose borders are not secure can never develop and prosper," he said.

He pointed out that the BSF has captured over 2500 weapons and done very good experiments with evolving technology such as anti-drone measures. The force has so far shot down more than 90 foreign drones and is also doing very good work in the field of R&D by setting up a BSF Drone and Cyber Forensic Lab in New Delhi to identify the routes of foreign drones, Shah said.

The Centre has provided 100 drones along with field formations for area domination which are being used very well by the BSF soldiers, he said.

Hailing the courage and bravery of the soldiers, Shah said those protecting the country's borders are the foundation of the country's development. "The BSF soldiers not only protect the borders but also give the message of discipline to the youth of the country," the Union Minister said.

A total of 23 BSF troopers have been given bravery medals and five havereceived medals posthumously. Out of the 23 troopers, 11 have been given Police Medal For Gallantry, 1 soldier has been given Jeevan Raksha Padak and 11 soldiers have been given President's Police Medal for distinguished service, a BSF statement said.

Shah said that BSF has received many medals and awards including 1 Mahavir Chakra, 4 Kirti Chakra, 13 Vir Chakra and 13 Shaurya Chakra. UNI CM SSP