Amid tension with China, Union Ministers to visit villages along LAC, stay for a night

In a big move by the Narendra Modi government, it has been decided that all Union ministers will visit border villages under the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ and spend one night there to discuss with the people about their aspirations in connection with development in their areas.

Notably, the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ announced by the central government aims for the development of around 1400 villages located along the LAC with China, in the border areas of the country. 

‘Vibrant Villages Programme’

Under ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’, the Centre has proposed to build infrastructure, tourism and ensure other requisite facilities in a total of 1400 identified villages in five states and Union Territories including Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

The infrastructure development in the border villages will help troops deployed along the LAC or close to the LAC and ensure better life for the people.

Galwan and Tawang faceoff with China

Notably, Indian and Chinese forces engaged in hand combat in June 2020, in which over 20 Indian troops got martyred. In September 2022, the disengagement process between both armies was completed in the Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area near Patrolling Point-15 in the eastern Ladakh sector, government sources had said.

In a recent encounter between the armies of both nations, Indian and Chinese soldiers on December 9 engaged in a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers attempted to make incursions on an Indian peak at about 17,000 feet.