Context:
As many as 22 out of 43 crossing points along the Myanmar border under the revised Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement are now functional.
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The newly functional border gates include 10 in Manipur, five each in Mizoram and Nagaland, and two in Arunachal Pradesh.
As per the revised FMR guidelines in December 2024, these gates regulate the movement of people living within a 10-km radius of the India-Myanmar border.
The Union Home Ministry (MHA) finalized new QR code-enabled passes in December 2024 to monitor and regulate border crossings.
The border pass remains valid for up to seven days.
The revised guidelines approved 43 crossing points, and Assam Rifles has been designated as the agency to issue border passes and conduct the first layer of security verification for people entering India from Myanmar.
- Assam Rifles is one of the six central armed police forces (CAPFs) responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, etc. under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The remaining 21 border checkpoints along the 1643 km India-Myanmar border are expected to become functional in a second phase.
Free Movement Regime (FMR)
- It was first introduced in 1968 due to ethnic and familial ties between communities living on both sides of the largely unfenced northeast border of India-Myanmar.
- Initially, the territorial limit of free movement was 40 km, which was reduced to 16 km in 2004 and in 2016 additional regulations were enforced.
- It was formalized in 2018 as part of India’s Act East Policy.
- It has now been reduced to 10 km.
- FMR allows border residents to visit relatives and families without a visa or passport.
Reasons for FMR:
- Ethnic and familial ties across the border: The British border drawn in 1826 split people of the same ethnicity and culture into two countries without their agreement.
- Local trade and business: The region has a history of cross-border trade through customs and border markets (haats), which are essential for supporting local livelihoods in the low-income economy of that area.