Bhagwant Mann’s Bold Call at NITI Aayog Meeting: Punjab Demands Robust Security and Increased Funding

National News: The 10th Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog held in New Delhi on Saturday was not just a formal forum; it became a historic moment to bring the invisible threat emerging on India's borders to the center stage. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told the country a truth from this platform, which echoes the security of not just the people living on the border but the entire nation.

Mann placed two very decisive demands on the central government: 50 high-tech drone jammers and special assistance of ₹2,829 crore, which can become the backbone of Punjab's border defense and social security.

Not drones; it is the enemy's new trick

Mann said that today's fight is not just with guns and bombs. The enemy is now attacking the peace of Punjab through drones, sometimes weapons, sometimes drugs, and sometimes surveillance missions. Every night there is a new war on Punjab's 553 km long border, which is not visible but leaves poison.

“We need 50 additional drone jammers. These are not just machines; they are shields that keep our land breathing,” he said.

Drug addiction: The internal enemy that kills silently

The chief minister said drugs from Pakistan don’t just cross the border; they come to snatch the future of the youth. Punjab has so far jailed over 53,000 drug peddlers and seized over 3,500 kg of heroin.

“But this battle will not be won by arrests, but by the system,” Mann categorically stated. The ₹2,829 crore sought will be used to strengthen de-addiction centres, build high-security prisons, and create employment resources for youth in rural areas.

These districts are India's first wall, not border villages

Mann specifically sought infrastructure grants for border districts like Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Fazilka, Ferozepur, and Pathankot. He said the lack of roads, health, education, and communication in these areas has made them vulnerable from a security point of view.

"Those who live on the border are not just the sentinels of the country; they are the soul of the country. Strengthening them is strengthening India," Mann said.

Start of a new thinking, a new strategy

Bhagwant Mann didn't just make demands in this meeting; he put forward a new way of looking at India's security policy from the triangle of technology, society, and governance. "The border needs courage, intelligence, and holistic planning, not just weapons," he said.

"Punjab is the country's wall of defense, but even walls need repair and strengthening from time to time. If attention is not paid today, these cracks will appear tomorrow." — Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister, Punjab