Border villages being developed as key security tools: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that villages identified early under the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) will serve as significant tools in protecting the country and its borders.
Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Vibrant Villages Programme workshop, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by designating the last village of the country as the first village, has changed the nation’s perspective towards border villages.
The home minister said that not only would every border village be equipped with modern facilities, but every citizen living in these villages would also be provided the benefits of all central and state government schemes, thereby improving their quality of life.
Additionally, these villages would be developed as strong assets for the security of the country and its borders, he added.
The workshop is being organised by the Border Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi. Shah also launched the logo of the Vibrant Villages Programme.
Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Home Secretary, Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), Border Management Secretary, Chief Secretaries of border states included in the first and second phases of the VVP, Directors General of security forces deployed for border protection, and District Magistrates of the concerned districts, along with other dignitaries, were also present.
Shah said that the Vibrant Villages Programme rests on three key pillars: preventing migration from border villages, ensuring that every citizen of these villages receives 100% benefits of government schemes, and developing them into strong instruments for strengthening border and national security.
He noted that through this programme, efforts have been made to promote infrastructure development, preserve and enhance local culture, generate employment through tourism, and make village life vibrant in every way, with a vision of multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral growth.
The home minister added that while the first phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme was limited to implementation, the second phase requires a change in administrative approach.
Shah urged collectors of border districts to take action against illegal religious encroachments, calling them part of a deliberate design. He stressed that all such encroachments within at least a 30-kilometre radius from the border must be removed.
Highlighting Gujarat’s example, he said the state has done commendable work by clearing numerous encroachments along both its maritime and land borders.
