Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh today underlined that border villages are the country’s first villages, and the government is fully committed to their holistic development. Addressing the Border Area Development Conclave in New Delhi today, Mr Singh pointed out that India’s geo-strategic position is such that it is exposed to different kinds of challenges. He said the best way to deal with them is to ensure border area development.

Highlighting the progress achieved in border area development in the last ten years, the Minister said Border Roads Organisation has constructed over 8 thousand 500 kilometres of roads and more than 400 permanent bridges. He added that Atal Tunnel, Sela Tunnel and Shikun-La Tunnel, which is going to be the world’s highest tunnel, will prove to be milestones in border area development. He further stated that government has started the 220 Kilo-Volt Srinagar-Leh Electricity Line to connect the border areas of Ladakh with the National Electricity Grid. The transmission and distribution infrastructure of north-eastern states is being strengthened. High-speed internet has been provided to over 1,500 villages through the Bharat-Net broadband project. Defence Minister said that in the last four years alone, more than seven thousand border villages have been connected with internet connection. He said Centre’s focus has been Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

        The Minister emphasised promoting tourism in border areas is being given special emphasis by the Government as it acts as a catalyst for the development of the region. From 2020 to 2023, the footfall of tourists in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh increased by 30 percent. Mr Singh was pleased to note that there has been a significant increase in tourists in Kashmir as compared to the last few years and this has resulted in job creation and strengthening of local economy.

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