Union minister of state for home affairs, Nityanand Rai addressed the 187th Raising Day celebrations of the Assam Rifles in Shillong on March 24 as the chief guest.
Nityanand Rai also paid tribute to the soldiers who made the “supreme sacrifice” for the country.
Director-general of Assam Rifles, Lt Gen PC Nair, senior officers and jawans of Assam Rifles and their families from across the country also attended the function through video conferencing.
In his address, the Union minister said that the Assam Rifles was established in 1835 as the “Cachar Levy”. Assam Rifles has the unique distinction of being conferred with the most number of gallantry awards among all paramilitary forces during its long history. The force has emerged as an organization with effective fighting skills.
The minister also said that the Assam Rifles during its glorious history has contributed significantly to the maintenance of peace and harmony in the “insurgency affected areas of the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir” and has performed exemplary work in preventing drug trafficking.
“Assam Rifles is an all-rounder force, it has two battalions stationed in Jammu and Kashmir and one NDRF battalion, which is playing its active role in the case of natural calamities,” the Union minister added.
Nityanand Rai then said the interests of the security forces along with the interest of the country have always been of paramount importance for prime minister Narendra Modi. He also said that under the leadership of the prime minister, the government has taken many decisions for the welfare of the security forces and their families.
Rai then said the ministry of home affairs has given in-principle approval to the formation of five additional battalions so that after field postings, jawans can get an opportunity to live with their families in a friendly environment.
Keeping this in mind, the government has given the Assam Rifles the powers under the NDPS Act, this was a well thought out decision, as a result of which Assam Rifles has seized narcotics and drugs worth about Rs 40 crore during the last year, the Union minister added.
The Union minister of state for home then said that with the objective of enhancing the structural operations and functionalities of the force, work is on for recruitment and cadre review.
