Dr. Pushpita Das is Research Fellow and the Coordinator of the Internal Security Centre at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. Her areas of interest include border security and management, coastal security, drug trafficking, migration and India’s Northeast. At MP-IDSA she has been primarily studying India’s approach towards the management of its international borders. She has been co-opted as an Expert by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) as well as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on projects on Coastal Security. She has also contributed significantly in projects sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the North Eastern Council (NEC).
Dr. Das has been a Member of the Committee of Studies of the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, Jamia Milia Islamia; Member of Studies for revising the syllabus of (M.A. Political Administration), Rashtriya Raksha University; and Member for inputs on syllabus of Fundamentals of Border Security (Core), Sardar Patel University Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur. She was a visiting faculty at the Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies (RIGSS), Bhutan. Dr. Das has also been invited as an Expert for Committee on Reviewing Study Material on Borders by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT); the Madhukar Gupta Committee for Border Management, and the Madhukar Gupta Committee for Restructuring the MHA.
Dr. Das has written extensively on her areas of research including two books titled, Role of State Governments in Conflict Resolution and Peace Building (2024) and India’s Approach towards Border Management: From Barriers to Bridges (2021); two monographs titled Illegal Migration from Bangladesh: Deportation, Fences, Work Permit (2016) and Coastal Security: the Indian Approach (2013); three occasional papers titled Status of India’s Border Trade (2014), Drug Trafficking in India (2012) and Coastal Security along Gujarat and Maharashtra coasts (2009); two edited books titled India’s Border Management: Select Documents (2010) and India’s North East: New Vistas for Peace (2008); and a number of articles and commentaries in journals and books. She has delivered lectures at several training institutes apart from participating in national and international seminars. Dr. Pushpita holds a Doctorate degree from the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
While it is a common knowledge that the Union government has been primarily responsible for maintaining the security of the country, the state governments have also played an important role ensuring public order and security of the citizens. It is said that every conflict starts at the micro level, but if not addressed effectively at that level, it has the potential to blow up and manifest itself as a severe security threat for the entire country. In this respect, various affected state governments in India have attempted to resolve conflicts and build peace at the ground level. While some of these attempts have been successful others have not accomplished the desired results. The book analyses the experiences of six selected states in their efforts to deal with insurgencies and establish sustainable peace. By doing so, it brings to the fore the important role played by state governments in tackling various internal security threats and maintaining peace and order in the country. The book argues in favour of the necessity to consider state governments as a prominent component in India’s conflict resolution and peace building architecture.
While the free movement regime did facilitate the hill tribes to maintain cross-border links, it also allowed insurgents and traffickers to freely enter and exit the country.
Trafficking of drugs takes place overwhelmingly through land borders followed by sea and air routes. Given the vulnerability of the borders to drug trafficking, India has tried to tackle the problem through the strategy of drug supply and demand reduction, which involves enacting laws, co-operating with voluntary organisations, securing its borders and coasts by increasing surveillance, as well as seeking the active cooperation of its neighbours and the international community.
Lack of manpower, training, infrastructure and coordination coupled with other systemic flaws and state government’s indifference to coastal security have severely undermined the efficacy of the coastal security apparatus.
Border trade is trade in local products of limited value by the people residing within a few kilometres on either side of the international border. Although the contribution of border trade in India's economy is negligible, it has substantial impact on its relations with its neighbours as well as on the people living on the border.
This book is an attempt to suggest a way towards peace and development in the North East. The authors, mostly belonging to the region, have provided valuable insights on the issues of insurgency, development and security and have also suggested concrete measures to tackle the myriad problems afflicting the region.
Even if solutions are known the Government does not implement them due to lack of political will, resource crunch, turf wars, apathy, and general inertia.
This monograph aims at understanding India's approach towards coastal security as it has evolved since Independence. It describes the kinds of threats and challenges that India's coasts have been facing, or are likely to face in future. It critically analyses the various strategies and polices that the Indian government has devised over the years as a response to these threats and challenges.