NEW DELHI, April 11, 2020 (BSS) – Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the Border Security Force (BSF) to intensify vigil in border areas, especially along the unfenced areas, to stop cross border movements amid the global spread of Covid-19.
The minister gave the directives when he was reviewing border guarding arrangements at India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan borders with BSF Command and Sector Headquarters through video-conferencing on Thursday.
Shah also directed that farmers in the border areas must be educated about COVID-19 and the preventive measures be taken to prevent its spread in these areas, according to official sources here.
“Also, in coordination with district administration, BSF must ensure that the people do not venture across the border fence inadvertently,” he added.
The home minister lauded good work done by BSF formations amidst COVID-19 outbreak.
He asked the BSF personnel to launch awareness campaigns about Covid-19, expedite sanitization efforts, and provide face masks and soaps and ration, water and medicine to the needy, including those in remote villagers, migratory laborers, daily wage earners and stranded truck drivers in boarder areas in coordination with the district administration.
Also present in the review meeting were Ministers of State for Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy and Nityanand Rai, along with Union Home Secretary, Secretary (Border Management) and DG, BSF.
In India, the death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 239 and the number of cases to 7,447 in the country today, according to the Union Health Ministry.