In line with the initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs to organize the Raising Day Celebrations of the Force at a location other than New Delhi every year, Sashastra Seema Bal organized its 60th Raising Day Parade at the Recruit Training Centre in Salonibari.Minister of Home and Cooperation Amit Shah as chief guest,took the salute of the parade. Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma,Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, various officials of central and state government, retired and serving officers of SSB were present on the occasion with their families.
During the parade, 6 contingents representing 6 Frontiers of Sashastra Seema Bal along with Mahila Contingent, Special Operations Contingent and the Dog Squad marched past saluting stage showcasing the bravery, pride and commitment towards the duties of safeguarding Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan border.
Amit Shah paid floral tributes to the martyrs of SSB who made supreme sacrifice in the service of the Nation at Martyr Memorial atthe Training Centre. Summarizing the historical aspects of the force in his address the executive Director General of SSB Anish Dayal Singh described the journey of Sashastra Seema Bal to 60 glorious years. Presently, Sashastra Seema Bal has 73 battalions consisting of more than 91 thousand personnel.
Sashastra Seema Bal is playing an important role in protecting Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders as well as preventing Naxalism and terrorism in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.Male and female personnel of the force have been deployed in all types of extremist areas and other challenging geographical areas of the country. He explained how the force has established itself as a multi-dimensional force by efficiently discharging its various responsibilities. Director General SSB briefed about the achievements of various formations and institutions of the force in the areas of operations, relief and rescue operations, sports fields, adventure, civil welfare, bilateral cooperation with neighboring countries and other areas.
Chief Guest Shri Shah presented the awards to the recipients of 2 President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service, 11 Police Medals for Meritorious Service and presented trophies to SSB Battalions for outstanding performance in the field of their duties.
During his address, Amit Shah appreciated the spectacular performance of the parade and the decision to organize the program at Recruit Training Center Salonibari. Speaking about the glorious history of SSB, he also appreciated the role of SSB in guarding the India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders as well as duties performed in other important areas. He spoke about the various welfare schemes of the Government implemented by the force personnel as well as the valuable contribution of personnel during natural disasters. The Chief Guest also praised the role of Sashastra Seema Bal in anti-Naxal operations conducted by SSB in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar and anti-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Home Minister congratulated 234 medal winners of SSB in international and national sports competitions this year. Praising the SSB players who won bronze medals in the “Asian Games”, he said that the SSB players will bring glory to the force and our Nation.
Congratulating SSB, he said that SSB is the first border guarding force of India to recruit women in combat roles. By the year 2023, the participation of women in the force has reached 4% and more than 3900 women are performing their duties well in the force and SSB has set a target of increasing the number of women in the force to 6% by the year 2026. Apart from border security, women force personnel are also discharging their duties shoulder to shoulder with men in challenging duties like law and order in Jammu and Kashmir during the United Nations Mission and Amarnathji Yatra.
During the program, Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Postal Stamp of Sashastra Seema Bal was released, Besides, the buildings constructed at a cost of Rs 223 crore at Frontier Headquarters Patna, Siliguri, Guwahati and Recruit Training Centre, Salonibari were e-inaugurated.
An exciting yoga show was demonstrated by the personnel of the force. The force personnel also entertained the audience with culturally enriching performance demonstrating seven NE states also known as ‘Seven Sisters’
