Pitch in to create infra in LAC villages, Centre asks industry
Ajay Banerjee
New Delhi, May 9
Aiming to rapidly develop infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China under the Vibrant Village Programme, the government has asked private industry to step in and have dedicated teams that focus on development of far-flung villages.
Rs 4,800 cr project
- A mega Rs 4,800 crore project for development of border villages
- Several villages in HP, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Arunachal and Sikkim upgraded or are being upgraded
- In three years, the project will cover 662 villages
- The govt has identified 2,963 villages for development in 10 years
The programme is aimed at creating additional infrastructure matching China’s aggressive approach of creating new villages — ‘Xiaokang’ — on its side close to the LAC.
Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane today said the private sector should contribute in bolstering the infrastructure in border areas. He also referred to the Vibrant Village Programme which aims to motivate people to stay in their native locations in border areas.
“He urged firms to set up a separate section, within their respective organisations, which focuses on development in far-flung areas,” said the Ministry of Defence in statement, while mentioning about the start of a two-day national symposium and industry meet on ‘Emerging Technologies in Infrastructure Development’, organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
In its edition on April 6, The Tribune had exclusively reported that China was carving out 175 more villages in addition to 628 ‘Xiaokang’ or prosperous villages built since 2019.
In the past year, several villages in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, eastern Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim have been upgraded or are being upgraded under a mega Rs 4,800 crore project that will cover 662 villages in first three years. In all, the government has identified 2,963 villages under the programme to be upgraded over 10 years.
As many as 75 villages in HP and 51 in Uttarakhand will be covered in the first phase. Ladakh’s 35 villages while 46 in Sikkim will also be developed. Arunachal is getting the largest push with 455 villages identified for development.
All of these are within 10 km of the LAC – the undemarcated boundary with China.
The focused areas of interventions in these village include livelihood generation, road connectivity, housing and infrastructure, renewable energy (solar and wind), high-speed telecom connectivity, promotion of tourism, skill development and development of co-operative societies for managing agriculture and horticulture.
The livelihood enhancing programme includes beekeeping, improvement of agricultural yields, encouragement of handicrafts and local products.
The Vibrant Village Programme was launched on April 13, 2023, from Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh, with the aim to counter Chinese influence in the disputed Himalayan region.
