A year after the launch of the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) along the India-China border, 113 road projects worth Rs 24.20 billion were sanctioned in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand during 2023-24, according to the Union Home Ministry's annual report.

The third phase of the India-China Border Roads (ICBR) project also commenced in Ladakh, the site of the 2020 Galwan clash. The infrastructure push comes amid China's announcement of a 60,000 MW dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River near Arunachal Pradesh.

The Union government approved VVP in 2023 as a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at developing select villages across 19 border districts in 46 blocks of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. Rs 48 billion was allocated for 2022-26, including Rs 25 billion specifically for road connectivity.

In Ladakh, road construction progressed at 470 km per year between 2017-20, more than double the 230 km annual pace from the preceding decade. Under ICBR phases I and II, 61 of the 73 strategic roads identified were entrusted to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). In eastern Ladakh, five new roads under phase III will be built by BRO and the Central Public Works Department.

Additionally, single and double-lane roads in many areas are being upgraded to four-lane, all-weather highways to bolster connectivity. Over the past year, nearly 6,000 cultural, educational, and health activities were organised in border villages to enhance local engagement and development.

India and China share a 3,488-km border spanning Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.

(ET)