Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh starting today where he will launch the 'Vibrant Villages Programme' in Kibithoo, a village along the India-China border. The visit by the Union minister comes days after China released a third set of names in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters for Arunachal Pradesh, as part of its efforts to reemphasise its claim over the Indian state.
As per a statement by the home ministry, the Modi government has approved 'Vibrant Villages Programme' (VVP) with central components of Rs 4,800 crore, including Rs 2,500 crore exclusively for road connectivity for the financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26.
Under the centrally sponsored VVP scheme, 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts abutting the northern border in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Ladakh have been identified for comprehensive development.
In the first phase, 662 villages, including 455 in Andhra Pradesh, have been identified for priority coverage.
The VVP will help in improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages and encourage people to stay at their native locations, thereby reversing the outmigration from these villages and adding to the security of the border, the statement said.
The Union minister, on his maiden visit to the state as home minister, will also inaugurate nine micro hydel projects of the state government constructed under the "Golden Jubilee Border Illumination Programme" in Kibithoo.
He will also inaugurate Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) projects to augment infrastructure at Likabali (Arunachal Pradesh), Chapra (Bihar), Nooranad (Kerala) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and will also interact with ITBP personnel at Kibithoo in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradeshthe statement added.
Earlier this month, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs had released the standardised names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet" in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet.