New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Central government has begun a police modernisation programme to prepare the police and paramilitary forces to effectively deal with challenges like border security, terrorism and cyber crime.

The Minister said "we want to add technology" despite the outstanding performance of the Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police in guarding India's borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.

Shah made the remarks while speaking on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri area in the national capital. The day is observed to pay homage to 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who were killed in an ambush by Chinese soldiers in 1959 in Ladakh's Hot Spring area.

"The work of police is witnessing new challenges and new dimensions in the areas of terrorism, fake currency, narcotics control, cyber crime, arms smuggling, human trafficking. It is a challenge to prepare the police forces for the new dimensions that have emerged in the last 2-3 decades," Shah said.

"We have prepared a comprehensive modernisation programme for the police and I am hopeful that in the coming days the Modi government will prepare them to meet these challenges," he said.

Shah said the government is bringing in new technology to make the country's borders "impregnable" and detailed preparations are being made for this.

The Minister said that the technology and promptness of the troops will go hand-in-hand and "we will be able to better secure our borders".

Shah said that the government was "going to do many things" so that the deficiency in the availability of police personnel per one lakh population is addressed.

The Home Minister lauded the efforts of police personnel in ensuring internal and border security and remembered the 35,398 police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, including 264 who made the supreme sacrifice in the past one year.

Shah also remembered the 343 personnel who were killed due to COVID-19 and said they had continued to perform their duty to help people and donate blood and plasma.

He added "many changes" will soon be visible in the context of police housing and training and that his ministry was working on these issues.

A ceremonial guard of honour by a joint squad of the CAPFs was presented during the event that was also attended by Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, Union Home secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of the Intelligence Bureau Arvind Kumar and chiefs of various CAPFs.

The Minister mentioned that the countrymen are "sleeping peacefully" because of the supreme sacrifice of the police personnel.