KIBITHOO (Arunachal Pradesh): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday launched the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kibithoo. “No one can encroach even pin’s tip worth of our land. No one has the power to cast an evil eye on us”, he said.
The Home Minister said that no one can cast their “evil eye” on India in today’s time as the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Indian Army are guarding the borders. “The entire country can sleep peacefully in their homes today because our ITBP jawans and Army are working day and night on our borders. Today, we can proudly say that no one has the power to cast an evil eye on us”, Shah said.
The Home Minister said that India is taking all measures to boost its security. “Today, we say with pride that gone are the days when anybody could encroach on India’s land. Today, we can proudly say that no one can encroach even a tip of a pin’s worth of our land because ITBP and Indian Army are present at our borders. I salute the sacrifices of all the jawans. Whosoever came to encroach the land here in 1962 had to return because of your patriotism”, he added.
He said that the Modi government’s ‘Look East policy’ has accelerated progress in the Northeast and the region now contributes to the development of the country. “Prior to 2014, the entire Northeast region was known as a disturbed region, but in the last nine years, because of PM Modi’s ‘Look East’ policy, the Northeast is now considered an area which contributes to the development of the country”, he said.
The Home Minister described Kibithoo as India’s first village and not last village. “Kibithoo is India’s first village and not the last village., Earlier when people visited here, they used to say ‘I had gone to the last village of the country’, but today, I’ll say that I visited the first village of India”, he said.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India has approved the 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.
The VVP is a centrally sponsored scheme under which 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 the Union Territory of Ladakh have been identified for comprehensive development.
In the first phase, 662 villages have been identified for priority coverage, which includes 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh. The VVP will help in improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages and encourage them to stay in their native locations, thereby reversing the outmigration from these villages and adding to the security of the border. (ANI)