Kupwara: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai was given a detailed briefing by a senior Border Security Force (BSF) officer about the overall security scenario on the Line of Control (LoC) and hinterland in the Kashmir valley, here on Thursday.
Rai arrived here on Wednesday as a part of Government of India (GoI) outreach programme under which about 50 Union Minister have already visited Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh so far.
Rai will visit different parts of the valley and have interactions with public delegations and individuals besides civil and Army officials and Panchayti Raj Institutions (PRI) members.
Immediately after arriving here on Wednesday Rai had a meeting with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan. Sources said Sinha and Rai discussed various issues, including the over all security situation and development activities going on in J&K.
A BSF spokesman said on Thursday Rai visited the Sector Headquarter Kupwara, where he was briefed by Inspector General of BSF Kashmir frontier Dr Rajesh Mishra about the present security scenario in Kashmir.
He said Rai addressed and appreciated the hard work of BSF troops at a Sainik Sammelan.
He was informed about the duties being performed by the BSF troops on the LoC and hinterland to assist the civil administration to maintain law and order in Kashmir valley.
Rai, as part of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, an initiative of the Government of India (GoI) to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of Independence, addressed the troops and interacted with them.
He also attended a cultural programme and distributed operational casualty certificates to the kin of martyrs which will help them to get benefits of various schemes of state and central government, he said.
Large number of individuals and deputation besides representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) met the minister.
He also had received briefing from the Army, official sources said.
The Union Minister was briefed by senior Army officers about the overall security situation along the LoC, where Pakistan is making desperate attempts to send trained and heavily armed militants into this side from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), where large number of ultras are awaiting at launch pads to sneak inbefore the higher reaches get snowfall.
Sources said the minister was informed about the functioning of anti infiltration grid along the LoC to foil any such attempts. He was also briefed about the successful thwarting of infiltration bids in the recent past by the troops guarding the LoC.
