After inaugurating the Indo-Pak border viewing point, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the growth in tourism will generate at least five lakh jobs for the people in Nada Bet in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat.

He said that the district in the next 10 years will see ample employment opportunities. “I can see that after 10 years Nada Bet will be a centre of employment for at least five lakh people of Banaskantha. PM Modi is giving a major boost to border tourism in the country,” said Shah.

The Home Minister mentioned the government’s vision in the development of the viewpoint and said that it would enable the people to interact with the protectors of the borders, the Border Security Force (BSF).

“The border viewing point will give a boost to tourism, besides allowing the tourists to interact with the security personnel and get a sense of the way the border management work is done. PM Modi has taken a lot of initiatives for the security of the border and also the infrastructure development,” he said.

Enumerating the benefits of border tourism, Shah said that it would lead to employment opportunities for the people and would enable development to reach the border villages.

“I want to thank PM Modi for his vision as when one comes here and goes to the Indo-Pak border he gets to know how the BSF is protecting us. The children will get to know about the works of BSF. With a boost to tourism, people will begin living in the villages, which had been facing migration in search of employment opportunities. The development will reach the last villages of the country,” he said.

The Home Minister also lauded the valour of the BSF, and said that the paramilitary force has shown exemplary courage in safeguarding the border.

“The country is proud of the BSF, with its valours reflected in one Maha Vir Chakra, 4 Kirti Chakra, 13 Vir Chakra, 13 Shaurya Chakra,” he said.

The viewing point has been built on the lines of the Wagah-Atari border of Punjab.

Before the inauguration, Shah, along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, offered prayer at the Nadeshwari Mata Temple in Banaskantha on Sunday.