BSF to operate beyond borders legally under 2011 amendment

It aims to legally enable the BSF to perform duties in these other areas during exigencies such as counter-insurgency, internal security, or natural calamities.

Who it concerns: The Border Security Force (BSF) and its members, as well as the Central Government of India.

What the bill does

• Amends the long title and Section 2 of the 1968 Act to include 'or of any part of the territory thereof' in the scope of the Force's duties.
• Amends Section 4 to allow the Central Government to specify, by notification, parts of the territory where the BSF shall ensure security.
• Amends Section 139 to remove the restriction that powers and duties are limited to areas 'adjoining the borders of India'.
• Updates the list of laws under which BSF members can exercise powers in Section 139, replacing the 'Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944' with the 'Central Excise Act, 1944' and the 'Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947' with the 'Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999'.

Also in the document

• The Bill states that the BSF is already deployed in non-border areas for various exigencies, and this amendment provides the legal basis for such deployment.
• The Financial Memorandum states that no financial implications are involved as the Force is already constituted and functioning.
• The Bill delegates power to the Central Government to notify specific territories for BSF security duties.