Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday voiced the government’s commitment to the holistic development of border villages, describing them as the country’s first villages, and not remote areas.

Addressing the Border Area Development Conclave in New Delhi, he pointed out that India’s geo-strategic position is such that it is exposed to different kinds of challenges and the best way to deal with them is to ensure border area development

Highlighting the progress achieved in border area development in the last ten years, Mr Singh said: “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.”

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 on Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.

Describing roads and electricity as basic facilities that form the foundation of development of any region, Mr Singh reiterated the government’s unwavering resolve to ensure progress in every corner of the country.

He stated that the ongoing efforts have not only ensured prompt military deployments in sensitive regions, but have also connected the people residing in border areas 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.

Mr Singh emphasised that promoting tourism in border areas is being given special emphasis by the government as it acts as a catalyst for the development of the region.

“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%.

“Similarly, there has been a significant increase in Kashmir as compared to the last few years. This has resulted in job creation and strengthening of the local economy. We are taking consistent steps to make J&K a tourist hotspot,” he said.