Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday urged people living on the India-China border not migrate to the mainland as it would put India’s security at risk, reported The Indian Express.

“They [people living on the border] are a strategic asset for us,” Singh said at an event organised by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police at Joshimath in Uttarakhand. “We have to give due importance to them. The day they migrate, it will not be good for border security.”

Singh is on a four-day tour of remote outposts along the India-China border in Uttarakhand. He told the ITBP to ensure they develop a good rapport with the people living in border areas. “Make border people your friends – win their trust, build confidence,” he said.

Many people migrate from the border areas in Uttarakhand because of a lack of career and livelihood opportunities, an Indo-Tibetan Border Police officer said. “This is not good for border security, as border people are our eyes and ears.”