Border States flag illegal migrants on voter rolls, use of drones, apps by smugglers

📌 Summary:

• At the first-ever conference of police chiefs from districts bordering neighbouring countries, several security concerns were flagged
• Presence of illegal migrants on electoral rolls despite a special revision of voter lists in Assam
• Alleged misuse of the open Nepal border by radical elements to reach Punjab
• Use of encrypted apps such as WhatsApp, Skred and Zangi for arms and narcotics smuggling across the Pakistan border
• Emptying of border villages due to lack of infrastructure and jobs was flagged; the Vibrant Villages Programme was cited as a countermeasure

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — border management, cross-border organised crime, technology in smuggling, and the security-development linkage in border areas

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Vibrant Villages Programme targets comprehensive development of villages along India's northern land border
• Skred and Zangi are encrypted messaging applications reportedly used by smugglers

🔑 Key Term: Vibrant Villages Programme — Centrally sponsored scheme to develop border villages and check out-migration