Context:
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reported that an advanced smart fencing system of 100 km along the Myanmar border is in the pipeline to strengthen the existing surveillance system.
- MHA also said that a Free Movement Regime (FMR) exists between India and Myanmar.
What is FMR?
- FMR is a mutually agreed arrangement between the two countries that allows tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa.
- They can cross the border on production of a border pass (1-year validity) issued by the competent authority and can stay up to 2 weeks per visit.
- FMR was implemented in 2018 as part of government’s Act East policy
- After the military coup in Myanmar in 2021 and the continued escalation of its refugee crisis, India suspended the FMR in September 2022.
India-Myanmar Border (IMB):
- Length – 1,643 km border
- States covered – Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh
- IMB was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region.
- Assam Rifles (AR) have been deployed along this border to monitor and check infiltration across the border.
Around 90% of the India-Myanmar Border has been demarcated as per report by MHA.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
With reference to India’s projects on connectivity, consider the following statements :
1. East-West Corridor under Golden Quadrilateral Project connects Dibrugarh and Surat.
2. The Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Chiang Mai in Thailand via Myanmar.
3. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Kunming in China.
How many of the above statements are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (d)
Explanation:
Golden Quadrilateral Project network connects Srinagar in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, and Silchar in the east to Porbandar in the west. Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Kolkata with Kunming in China. Hence, all the statements are not correct.
