The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah launched the 'Vibrant Villages Programme' at Kibithoo - a border village in Arunachal Pradesh, today. Shri Amit Shah also inaugurated 9 micro hydel projects of Arunachal Government and 14 infrastructure projects Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) worth Rs.120 crore. Several dignitaries including Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Pema Khandu, Union Home Secretary and Director General ITBP were present on the occasion.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has changed people’s approach towards border villages, now people visiting border area know it not as last village but as the first village of India. Border areas are the priority of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the security of the border is the security of the nation and this is the reason that the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is continuously working to increase the border infrastructure.

 The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that in the 1962 war, the then Kumaon Regiment had shown unparalleled  courage. He said that today the whole country sleeps peacefully because of the bravery and sacrifice of our Himveers of ITBP and Army soldiers and because of them only, no one can even look towards our border. Shri Shah said that the sacrifice, bravery, enthusiasm and patriotism of all the Jawans who are staying away from their families and serving the country at an altitude of 13,000 feet is commendable.

Shri Amit Shah said that all the residents of Arunachal greet each other by saying Jai Hind and this sentiment has kept Arunachal with India. He said that 10 years ago there was migration from border villages, but Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has brought development to these villages. He said that under the Vibrant Villages Programme of the government lead by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, 2967 villages have been identified for comprehensive development in 46 blocks of 19 districts along the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Ladakh. In the first phase of this programme, a population of about 1.42 Lakh will be covered in 662 villages in 46 blocks. Under this scheme Rs. 4800 crore will be spent from 2022 to 2026 and 11 districts, 28 blocks and 1451 villages have been included in the first phase. He said that under this programme the development work of villages will be done at 3 levels. Under the Vibrant Village, the Government of India will take care of the facilities of every person living in the villages and the benefits of various schemes will be delivered to the people. He said that there will not be a single house in the border villages which does not have basic amenities. Shri Shah added that the work of promoting financial inclusion will be done and economic opportunities will also be provided. These villages will be developed while preserving and promoting tourism, local culture and language. He said that the second goal of this program is to stop migration from border villages, for which employment arrangements will be made there itself. He said a 5-year target has been set to bring back  normal situation in the villages affected by migration. Shri Shah said that the third objective of this program is to set up basic infrastructure in the border villages. He said that through the Vibrant Villages Programme which will be implemented in 3 phases, it is the aim of the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to stop migration from all the villages of the entire northern border, promote tourism and provide all facilities at par with the cities.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Minister said that an action plan has been prepared to run the Vibrant Villages Programme in mission mode. He added that the participation and responsibility of the Panchayat and Gram Sabha in the administration at the Central, State, District and Block-levels would be ensured and all the schemes have been prepared in an integrated and coordinated manner for 100 percent implementation. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Pema Khandu, has the responsibility to make such a village so that all the people living in the 'Vibrant Villages' feel proud over living in these villages and they get all the facilities.

Shri Amit Shah said that 9 micro hydel projects at a cost about Rs 30 crore and with a capacity of 725 KW have also been inaugurated here today and these projects are almost complete. He said that these schemes would ensure power supply to the villages in a state like Arunachal which has a difficult geographical location. Along with this, the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will ensure that all facilities are provided to our ‘Himveer’ and Indian Army soldiers posted on the border. Shri Shah said that today 14 infrastructure projects of ITBP with a cost of  Rs.120 crores have also been inaugurated. He said that 6,600 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been formed in the small state of Arunachal Pradesh and more than 53,000 women are getting employment through these SHGs, which is an excellent example of women empowerment.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that before 2014, the entire Northeast was known as a region ridden with many issues, but in the last 9 years, due to the Look East policy of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today the Northeast has been recognized as a region contributing to the development of the country. He said that once upon a time due to the wrong approach of the leaders sitting in Delhi, this region was disputed, insurgency-ridden and lacked peace, development and connectivity. Shri Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, disputes and insurgency are coming to an end and a new era of development and peace has started. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has worked in the Northeast on 3 fronts – preserving its phenomenal cultural heritage, establishing peace by settling disputes, and making several pacts with insurgent groups that have resulted in a 67 percent reduction in violence, 60 percent reduction in deaths of security forces and 83 percent in civilian deaths in 2022 as compared to 2014. Shri Shah said that the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has signed BRU, NLFT, Bodo, Karbi-Anglong accords and resolved inter-state border disputes. He said that the government has removed AFSPA from 70 percent of the Northeast and the day is not far when it will be removed from the entire Northeast. He said that today the youth who have taken up arms are joining the mainstream and contributing to the development of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Shri Amit Shah said that India wants peace with everyone but no one will be able to encroach on even an inch of our country's land and it is the policy of the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi that there can be no compromise with the respect of our army and borders. He said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi considers the security of the borders as the security of the nation and therefore infrastructure on the border is the priority of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He said that from 2014 to 2023, 547 kilometers of border fencing has been completed, more than 1100 kilometers of border roads have been constructed, 1057 kilometers of floodlighting has been done, 468 Border Observation Posts (BOPs) have been set up. He said that the work on border infrastructure which the opposition party could not do in 12 terms of their government, has been done by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in only 2 terms and this shows the priority of the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi towards border security. For this, the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has launched many schemes.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that for the development of Arunachal Pradesh, all the villages within 5 km radius of the international border have been connected with All Weather Roads, the construction of 1859 km long Arunachal Frontier Highway has started and in the last few years 252 habitations have been connected by constructing 2500 km of roads in the border areas. He said that the central government has given Rs. 44000 crore to the Arunachal government for the development of infrastructure. He said that in the field of digital connectivity also, 4G connectivity has been reached in 684 villages and about 1327 border villages have been electrified. Shri Shah said that the biggest priority of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his government is the border areas. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi the Government’s approach of attachment and love has narrowed down the distances.

RK/AY/AKS/AS