{"id":64906,"date":"2026-01-22T18:04:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=64906"},"modified":"2026-01-23T12:35:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T07:05:23","slug":"border-fence-farmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-01-2026\/border-fence-farmers","title":{"rendered":"Border fence issue and Farmers concerns\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus:GS2\/IR; GS3\/Economy&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union government has agreed in principle to shift the border security fence in Punjab closer to the International Border.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Present status&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Punjab shares a 532-kilometre-long border with Pakistan and is fenced with barbed wire, with the distance from the International Border varying from a few feet to 2 km.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The electrified barbed wire fence was first installed in 1988 in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Ferozepur to prevent infiltration, militancy, and drug smuggling during Punjab\u2019s militancy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Issues and concerns&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>About 21,500 acres of farmland and 10,000 acres of government land lie between the fence and the border, where farmers face restrictions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access is limited to a few hours on certain days, with limits on the number of workers and tractors, and BSF rules require two Kisan Guards per tractor, further restricting daily field access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations various Committee<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Kapoor Committee, established in 1986, recommended compensating farmers whose land lay beyond the border fence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 1988, the first payment of Rs 2,500 per acre was made, but compensation has been irregular and not provided annually.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 1992, the Border Area Sangharsh Committee was formed to advocate for farmers\u2019 rights, but no solution has been found.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The fence now affects six districts, including the newly carved Tarn Taran, Fazilka, and Pathankot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impacts of Latest Move<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The farmers of the border have long been demanding that the fence be moved closer to the IB, arguing that improved surveillance makes it feasible.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite repeated proposals, progress remains limited, and the current fence restricts access to farmland, causing delays.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Relocating it would ease access and allow unhindered cultivation of thousands of acres, offering major relief to farmers in Punjab\u2019s border areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion and Way Forward&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The move to shift the Punjab border fence nearer to the International Border is a significant relief for farmers, resolving long-standing issues over limited access to their land.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, it also brings new security concerns that demand careful planning, upgraded technology, and close coordination between the Centre, state government, and BSF.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Achieving a balance between national security and farmers\u2019 interests will be crucial for the initiative\u2019s success.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/why-punjab-farmers-want-security-fence-moved-closer-to-border-with-pakistan-10487846\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In News<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Union government has agreed in principle to shift the border security fence in Punjab closer to the International Border.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Present status\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Punjab shares a 532-kilometre-long border with Pakistan and is fenced with barbed wire, with the distance from the International Border varying from a few feet to 2 km.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The electrified barbed wire fence was first installed in 1988 in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Ferozepur to prevent infiltration, militancy, and drug smuggling during Punjab\u2019s militancy.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-01-2026\/border-fence-farmers\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64906"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64909,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64906\/revisions\/64909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}