How does illegal transborder migration pose a threat to India’s security? Discuss the strategies to curb this, bringing out the factors which give impetus to such migration. (UPSC 2014)

Illegal transborder migration is a security as well as demographic challenge. It enables infiltration by militants, spies and criminal networks, and facilitates arms smuggling, narco-trafficking and fake currency circulation. It can alter local demography, fuel ethnic tensions, strain administration in border states, and lead to forged identities that distort electoral rolls and welfare delivery.

• Impetus: Conflict, poverty, unemployment and climate stress in neighbouring states push people out, while India’s jobs, kinship links, shared culture and porous riverine, hilly and forest borders attract them.
• Curbs: Strengthen fencing and river surveillance, use biometrics and intelligence sharing, tighten document checks, speed up deportation, and improve coordination with neighbours.

Alongside firm border management, India must address root causes through regional cooperation and legal migration channels.