Union Home Minister Amit Shah
NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened and presided over a high-level review meeting earlier this week to assess security challenges in Bihar’s districts bordering Nepal, directing officials to strengthen border management systems and intensify action against unlawful activities.
The deliberations focused on tightening surveillance mechanisms and improving inter-agency coordination to address concerns such as illegal constructions near border areas, unlawful migration, the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), encroachments on restricted land, and unauthorised financial transactions and fund flows.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, it was decided that all reported death cases would undergo comprehensive verification in accordance with due process following completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Upon confirmation, necessary deletions and corrections will be made across official databases, including UID records, driving licence data, PAN documentation, and other relevant government repositories to ensure data integrity and prevent misuse.
Authorities will also conduct a door-to-door survey to verify individuals reported as having migrated but who were absent during earlier verification exercises, while ensuring that no eligible voter is inadvertently removed from electoral rolls.
Reiterating a zero-tolerance approach, the Home Minister called for strict enforcement against illegal constructions, particularly those situated in forested and uninhabited zones. He further instructed officials to ensure prompt removal of encroachments identified on No Man’s Land along the border.
District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police from all seven districts of the Seemanchal region attended the meeting. District Magistrates have been assigned enhanced oversight responsibilities to monitor legal and financial compliance among banks operating within their jurisdictions, including cooperative institutions.
All banks have been directed to adhere strictly to regulatory norms prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India, especially requirements concerning reporting of high-value cash transactions and mandatory PAN linkage with bank accounts. The Chief Secretary will undertake periodic compliance reviews, with particular attention to cooperative banks.
The MHA further warned that stringent action would be initiated against Sub Registrar Offices (SROs) for failure to report or improper reporting of high-value property transactions, as well as violations involving cash dealings beyond prescribed thresholds.
The state government will raise the matter before the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) and engage with the RBI regarding installation of note-sorting machines in all bank branches located along the border. Concurrently, measures will be taken to improve banking outreach and penetration in border areas to reinforce financial oversight.
District Magistrates have also been instructed to scrutinise major commercial establishments to ensure their funding sources are lawful and unlinked to illegal activities. In cases of suspicious property acquisitions, authorities will conduct detailed examinations of funding origins, purchasers’ financial capacity, and associated PAN documentation.
The review meeting reflects the government’s intensified focus on reinforcing border security and tightening financial monitoring in sensitive districts along the India-Nepal boundary, with emphasis on curbing illegal migration, preventing circulation of counterfeit currency, and addressing financial irregularities.
