According to a senior BSF officer, the goal of implementing the BSF West Bengal beekeeping model is to create jobs in isolated places, win over the trust and friendship of the people, who serve as the “eyes and ears” in these areas from a security perspective

Official sources told PTI that the decision was made during a meeting on “scientific beekeeping and honey mission” that was chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla at his office at North Block here in April. The goal of the initiative is to increase employment opportunities for the locals and foster goodwill with them for strengthening security.

The directive was given to all central paramilitary and allied forces to replicate a “beehives on border fence” beekeeping model started by a BSF unit in West Bengal.

The model developed and executed by the 32nd BSF battalion, which is stationed in West Bengal’s Nadia district to guard the India-Bangladesh international border, was ’lauded’ during the meeting, according to a senior CAPF officer, and all central armed police forces (CAPFs) were instructed to implement it in their respective areas of responsibility.

The National Security Guard (NSG), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Assam Rifles, and other border guarding forces, like the Sashastra Seema Bal (borders between Nepal and Bhutan) and the Indo Tibetan Border Police (China LAC), CAPFs like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), do not have fences to guard, but the model can be utilised by them as per their nature of duties, the officer said.