Singh, after taking salute at the 53rd Raising Day event of paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at its camp here, said it was essential to have "gender-friendly" facilities at these far flung areas for women as the present support system is deficient.
"There should be gender-friendly infrastructure at border posts where women are deployed....I believe there is a deficiency in this regard. This needs to be improved. I believe those border posts where women personnel are deployed, more facilities should be provided there," he said.
While the forces have upgraded or created new infrastructure facilities at the border posts after women combatants were posted at these locations for the first time few years back, reports from the field units of these forces have desired that much more needs to be done in this regard.
Singh said that his ministry will give a serious thought to a pending proposal of SSB to have its own dedictated intelligence wing to aid its ground troops mandated to secure Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
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The Home Minister lauded the force for detecting and apprehending narcotics, arms, ammunition and other banned susbtances estimated at Rs 274 crore when they were being illegally transacted across the two borders this year.
Calling SSB a "multi-dimensional" force, Singh welcomed the forces' proposal to get erected at least ten FM radio towers in the border areas along Nepal.
The force, raised in 1963, has 67 operational battalions (about 67,000 personnel) at present and secures the 1,751-km Indo-Nepal border and the 699-km long Indo-Bhutan border apart from being deployed to render a variety of internal security duties in the hinterland.
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