Rajnath Singh Voices Govt's Commitment To Border Area Development: 'They're First Villages, Not Remote Areas'

Rajnath Singh lauded the Army for its efforts in the development of border areas and also spoke about border area tourism and reverse migration during the Border Area Development Conclave in Delhi.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the border villages as country's first villages and not remote areas as he spoke about the government's commitment to their holistic development. He made these remarks as he addressed the Border Area Development Conclave on Wednesday, September 11, in New Delhi. He also underscored that the geo-strategic position of India is such that it is exposed to various challenges and that the ideal way to deal with them is border area development.

Singh stated that the civil-military collaboration in border areas was in turn resulting in the reverse migration to the frontier areas.

"Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed over 8,500 kms of roads and more than 400 permanent bridges. Atal Tunnel, Sela Tunnel & Shikun-La Tunnel, which is going to be the world's highest tunnel, will prove to be milestones in border area development. Our Government has started the 220 Kilo-Volt Srinagar-Leh Electricity Line to connect the border areas of Ladakh with the National Electricity Grid," Singh said, listing the progress achieved by India in the past decade in the border area development.

He further stated: "In addition, 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. In the last four years alone, more than 7,000 border villages have been connected with internet connection, and our focus has been Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh."

The Defence Minister stated that the ongoing efforts by the government have enabled prompt military deployments in sensitive regions and also improved the connectivity of border area villages with the rest of the country. "He underlined the fact that while building roads, bridges and tunnels in border areas is imperative for national security, it is also important in making the lives of the people in these regions better, in collaboration with the state governments," the statement noted.

Tourism In Border Areas Being Given 'Special Emphasis' By Govt

The Defence Minister further spoke about the government's "special emphasis" being given towards the promotion of tourism in border areas. "Tourism has immense potential in border areas, but it could not reach the desired heights due to lack of infrastructure. Things have changed since this Government came to power. We are working towards development in these areas. From 2020 to 2023, the footfall of tourists in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh increased by 30%.," he stated.

He also highlighted the "significant increase" in tourism in Kashmir as compared to the last few years. "This has resulted in job creation and strengthening of local economy. We are taking consistent steps to make J&K a tourist hotspot," Singh added.

Minister of Culture & Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also spoke on ‘Tourism A Catalyst for Growth in Border Regions in his addressm underlining the role played by the Indian Army in these efforts. Shekhawat stated that the government is ensuring growth in tourism in border regions through various joint projects. These projects see that security and infrastructure development are carried out simultaenously.

Rajnath Singh On 'Reverse Migration' & Army's Efforts In Border Areas Development

Calling it one of the positive outcomes of economic development in border areas, Rajnath Singh spoke about 'reverse migration' and made a special mention of Arunachal Pradesh's Huri village-- an example of development through civil-military collaboration. 

"He stated that while the central and state governments focused on economic progress, BRO & Indian Army laid emphasis on infrastructure development, which resulted in reverse migration," the statement read.

Singh also commended the Indian Army for its contribution in the border areas development. He stated that the Army is working to connect the border areas with the rest of the country by building roads and bridges and by runing schools in the region.  

"The Government, along with Indian Army, is ensuring the participation of people residing in border areas in their development. We are encouraging the youth to enroll in NCC. Many government schemes are being run with the sole aim of development," he said.