Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and Labour & Employment, Shri Bhupender Yadav said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi border villages will be developed comprehensively through the Vibrant Villages Programme and said that stronger border villages will lead to a stronger nation. As a part of Vibrant Villages Programme, 1400 border villages have been identified and Union Ministers will visit and spend a night at the border villages to understand the issues faced by the people there and take steps to address them.

The Union Minister was on a two-day visit to Ladakh on 3-4 March 2023 as a part of the Vibrant Villages Programme where he visited the border villages of Tsaga pasture, Rezang-La, Chushul among others.

At Changthang Village, Tsaga pasture, the Union Minister was given a traditional welcome and witnessed Jabro dance, a traditional dance performed by Ladakhi women. The Union Minister interacted with the nomadic Rebo tribe, who live in tents and make the finest Pashmina wool. The Minister enquired about the problems faced by them and assured them that benefits of Union Government schemes will reach them.

Addressing the gathering which consisted of representatives of various villages and the pastoral community, the Union Minister said after the formation of the Union Territory of Ladakh, several road projects have been completed and long pending ones have been fast-tracked. Shri Yadav said that funds have been earmarked for Green Hydrogen Projects in Ladakh and Rs 27,000 crores have been sanctioned to develop Solar Power projects to tap the untapped solar energy potential in Ladakh and generate employment opportunities for the people.

Highlighting the various schemes implemented by the Union Government, Shri Yadav said that initiatives like Jan Dhan Yojana, COVID Vaccination, Ayushman Yojana cards and distribution of free ration under the Garib Kalyan Yojana immensely benefited the people during tough times.

At Rezang-La, Shri Yadav visited the Rezang-La War Memorial, laid wrath and paid tribute to the martyrs who gave their lives defending the country.

In Chushul, a village near the Indo-China border, the Union Minister interacted with the people and assured them that the Union Government is committed to resolving all the problems faced by border villages. In this context, Shri Yadav said that through the Vibrant Villages Programme, the distance between border villages and New Delhi will be reduced and said that a connected, educated and developed Ladakh will be achieved. The Union Minister spent the night in Chushul at the home of a local resident.

The next day, the Union Minister visited the Chushul Monastery and offered prayers. Enroute to Leh, the Minister visited two border villages, Merak and Spangmik, where he interacted with the local community and assured them that all schemes of the Union Government will reach every beneficiary in the border villages. The Union Environment Minister directed the forest department to resolve all the issues faced by the people in the border villages relating to wildlife and forest land. The Minister also visited Durbuk Monastery, offered prayers and interacted with the local community there.

The Union Minister thanked the people of Ladakh for giving him a warm reception and said that Ladakh has a rich culture and tradition of propagating peace, brotherhood and living in harmony with nature which needs to be emulated by everyone.

Later in the day, the Union Minister met the Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh at Leh, where both held a detailed discussion on key issues concerning Ladakh’s sustainable development.

***

MJPS/SSV