Patna, Feb 24 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah will embark on a three-day visit to Bihar from Wednesday to review security measures, administrative preparedness and ongoing development initiatives in the state's border districts, with particular emphasis on areas along the India-Nepal border. Senior officials from the Union Home Ministry accompanying HM Shah are expected to hold consultations with top state functionaries on the factors behind the demographic changes reported in the Seemanchal region and measures to address them.

The visit is being seen as a significant move by the Home Minister in the context of what the government has described as population imbalance in certain parts of the country. As per the itinerary, HM Shah will arrive in Purnea at 4 p.m. on February 25 and proceed by helicopter to Kishanganj. He is scheduled to chair a review meeting at the Collectorate from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will stay overnight in Kishanganj. On February 26, the Home Minister will travel to Araria, where he will attend a programme at the Letti border outpost at 11 a.m.

He will subsequently convene a high-level review meeting at the Collectorate with Superintendents of Police and district officials from border areas to assess issues related to the India-Nepal border. The same day, he will also take part in an event organised under the Vibrant Villages programme before returning to Purnea for an overnight stay. On February 27, HM Shah will once again meet officials in Purnea to deliberate on matters concerning border districts. After concluding the final round of review meetings, he will leave for New Delhi.

The visit is regarded as crucial for bolstering border security, overseeing the progress of development schemes and ensuring administrative coordination in sensitive districts. Authorities have completed logistical preparations, and elaborate security arrangements have been put in place ahead of the tour. The Seemanchal region is expected to be a key focus of the visit. The exercise is being viewed as the next major priority of the Home Ministry following its 'Naxal-Mukt Bharat' initiative, with particular attention on making Seemanchal "infiltrator-free". HM Shah has toured Seemanchal several times in recent years.

During the previous Bihar Assembly elections, he had repeatedly alleged that efforts were underway to build a vote bank through illegal immigrants in the region and asserted that the NDA government would not allow such practices. He had said that every infiltrator would be identified and deported and that all illegal activities would be brought to a complete halt.

--IANS