From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Concerned over the Chinese activities on India’s borders, the Centre has asked the district collectors to prepare a report on the security infrastructure development within three months under its Vibrant Villages Programme (
VVP).
It is concerned over the thinning of the population in the border villages tht face the problems of the lack of road and telecom connectivity. Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month launched the VVP and made operational th firsts 4g Telecom tower in Kibitho village of Arunachal Pradesh.
The district collector are to identify projects related to the infrastructure like schools, hospitals, telecom connectivity and roads. They have been tasked to submit the plans to the home ministry by August for sanction of funds.
The VVP was conceived in 2021 with an allocation of Rs 4,800 crore, in the context of China building the border villages and roads with regards to their territorial claim on the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) The government noted how the border infrastructure helped the Chinese army mobilise men and machines a a short notice.
As many as 167 border villages in four border states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and the union territory of Ladakh have no telecom facilities.The VVP will cover 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh,75 in Himachal Pradesh, 35 in Ldakh, 46 in Sikkim and 51 in Uttarakhand. The programme will coveer a total of 662 border villages in these states.
