The northeastern state of India, Arunachal Pradesh, has initiated several infrastructure development programmes in the areas along the international border with China, Bhutan and Myanmar. Border areas remained neglected for decades till the current India government planned to uplift those areas.
Under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), infrastructure has been developed in 65 model villages, the state's Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said recently, as reported by EastMojo.
According to the report, Mein was responding to a question by Congress MLA Ninong Ering on the steps taken by the state government in view of the construction activities carried out by China along the international border with India.
For developing the education sector, four new Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas (VKVs) and four such existing schools have been upgraded under BADP with an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore, he said.
Moreover, eight model schools have been established in the border area during 2017-18, the deputy chief minister said.
"To address infrastructure gaps at the border, development projects such as road connectivity, foot suspension bridges, health facilities, drinking water and electricity facilities have been provided through the normal allocation of BADP fund and also from the state fund," Mein said.
Infrastructure development transforms people's lives in border areas and is a game changer for the region said India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
"In plains, the government is constructing smart roads but in many border areas roads are scarce. Many areas even don't have basic tracks. In such remote areas, the government has initiated several welfare schemes along with basic civic amenities like electricity, telecommunications, education, and health that require connectivity," he said as reported by NDTV.
He said that being a gateway to East Asia, the development of the North Eastern region is the priority of the government. The Northeast is important not only for the development of the entire nation but also strengthens relations with East Asia in terms of trade, travel, and tourism.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor