ITBP personnel celebrate 'Raksha Bandhan' with border population

New Delhi: India-China LAC guarding force ITBP organised a large-scale 'Raksha Bandhan' event to connect with locals of remote border areas under the 'vibrant village programme' of the central government, officials said on Thursday.

Women and girls residing in these areas tied rakhis on the wrists of jawans posted in forward areas of Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh to celebrate the festival on Wednesday and Thursday, a senior Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officer said.

The about 90,000 personnel strong force is primarily tasked to guard the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) that runs through these states on the northern and eastern flank of the country.

Pictures of the event showed ITBP jawans donning their combat uniforms and exchanging greetings and sweets with the local women.

All the border units and posts were directed by the force headquarters in Delhi to make arrangements for celebrating Rakshabandhan under the 'vibrant villages programme' or VVP. This is the first time that this festival is being celebrated under the VVP, the officer told PTI.

As many as 662 border villages are being covered under the programme's first phase. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had launched this programme from India's eastern-most point at Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh on April 10.

According to official data, the VVP aims for the speedy development of the border areas-- 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts-- abutting Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and the UT of Ladakh.

The Union government has approved the VVP with a central component of Rs 4,800 crore, including Rs 2,500 crore meant exclusively for road connectivity for the financial years 2022–23 to 2025–26.

The programme, as per a government statement, will help in improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages and encourage people to stay in their native locations, thereby stopping migration from these villages and bolstering the security of the frontier areas.  It envisages that the district administration of these villages, with the help of block and panchayat level systems, will prepare an action plan to ensure 100 per cent completion of central and state schemes meant for these regions.

The focus areas identified for the development of villages include road connectivity, drinking water, electricity, including solar and wind energy, mobile and internet connectivity, tourist centres, multi-purpose centres, healthcare infrastructure, and wellness centres.