Pema Khandu
Image - Twitter

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday alleged that Arunachal has huge potential for growth but the State has been deprived of foreign funding due to objections from China.

Making this allegation on his Twitter handle on Sunday, Chief Minister Khandu stated: “Arunachal has huge potential for growth but is deprived of foreign funding due to objections from China. It is the only state facing such a fund blockade, that is taking a toll on its economy.”

Meanwhile, a report published on Sunday by Deccan Herald stated that Arunachal Pradesh is not just looking up to the army and the paramilitary forces to protect its territory against the frequent claims by neighbouring China that the state belongs to it and not to India.

The report also stated that the frontier state now wants the two lakh-odd troops stationed there to buy locally grown produce as its growth has been affected due to the blocking of funds from international agencies, thanks to China’s objections.

It has been reported that Chief Minister Pema Khandu will soon meet the Union Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi for working a way out to ensure that the central security forces buy local products,
thereby bridging the growth vacuum created due to the Chinese intervention.

The report quoted Khandu as saying: “It (Arunachal) is the only state facing such a fund blockade, that is taking a toll on its economy. But it can be overcome by taking advantage of the huge presence of our army and central paramilitary forces in the state. Arunachal has the presence of more than 2,00,000 military personnel and paramilitary forces — a huge market for selling local produce and goods.”