By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Mar. 6: The Arunachal Pradesh government on Wednesday announced plans to build three model villages along the Indo-Tibet border as a government pilot project with a 30 crore budget. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein while presenting the 2021-22 budgets in the state assembly. “I am happy to announce a major initiative to develop three model villages on a pilot basis in the Indo-Tibet China border areas – one each in the Eastern, Central and one Western part of the state,” Mein told the legislative body in his budget speech.
“It is of critical importance to develop the areas near the international border so as the border populace can act as a check against any foreign misadventure,” Mein further said. Border guarding forces will be used for designing and implementing the scheme, asserting that the development of the border areas is a priority for the ruling Modi government primarily for social welfare such as road connectivity, power, water supply, health and education.
Along with the model villages, the State Government also proposed to allocate Rs 5 crore for the repair of foot suspension bridges in border areas used by the border guarding forces for patrolling. The central government has also approved the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for developing highways along the frontiers.
In the budget for the next fiscal (2021-22), the government proposed Rs 38 crore for the department of indigenous affairs for preserving the indigenous way of life, Rs 4 crore for the preservation of indigenous heritage centers in a phased manner, and Rs 40 crore for the construction of tribal cultural centers.
