Citizens, we can rest in peace! Govt to take care of border states with rehabilitation programs

Updated: Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 13:05 [IST]

New Delhi, July 15: The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh submitted a memorandum on July 04, 2014 to the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs where in the issue of sparse population in the border areas and strong need to promote developmental activities in Border Areas has been raised so that the residents willingly settle there and act as our frontier guards along the international borders.

Government of India is seized of the matter and has been implementing the Border Area Development Programme through the State Governments.

This programme is a part of comprehensive approach to the Border Management to meet the special developmental needs of the people living in the remote and inaccessible border areas and to saturate the border areas with essential infrastructure through convergence with other Central/State/Local schemes and participatory approach.

The programme is supplemental in nature to fill the gaps as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme. It is being implemented in 375 border blocks of 103 border districts in 17 States (including States in the North Eastern Region), along the international land borders. The developmental activities under BADP relate to infrastructure development such as link roads, employment generation, education, health, drinking water, electricity, agriculture and allied sectors etc.

Guidelines of BADP also provide for fast development of villages particularly of those located in the remote hilly areas closer to the international land borders through Skill Development of the youth, Tourism development etc. to contain migration from the border areas. From the year 2012 onwards, State Governments have been requested to utilize at least of 5% of the allocation of the State under BADP for skill development and capacity building of the people living in border areas.

This was stated by Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs in written reply to a question by Shri Asaduddin Owaisi in the Lok Sabha today.

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