GUWAHATI: Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Monday revealed that his government has chalked out a blueprint to overhaul the existing planning process for accelerated growth of the state.
“This blueprint will be put to implementation after the upcoming elections,” Khandu said addressing a public meeting at Tuting in Upper Siang district on Monday.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
“The new planning process will extensively involve stakeholders at the ground level as it is the people in villages and officers on the ground who know what is required. So our state plan will stand on the inputs from the ground,” Khandu said.
Also Read: Assam: Rahul Gandhi’s BJNY to pass through Guwahati today
“The entire process will be from bottom to top, not like the erstwhile top-to-bottom process,” he also said.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Khandu assured that the new model of planning will accelerate the holistic development of all villages in the state and that government resources will be optimally utilized without wastage.
Khandu, who is on a 2-day tour of the Upper Siang district, appealed to members of the five resident communities- Memba, Khamba, Adi, Mishmi and Tangam – to coexist peacefully and become equal stakeholders in the development of the border areas.
Also Read: Assam cabinet ministers to visit Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Feb 22
He said that the communities residing in the northernmost part of the district that shares the international border with Tibet-China have been living peacefully for ages and that there shouldn’t be any issue that disturbs this relationship of brotherhood.
“Upper Siang’s Tuting administrative division is one of the most vivid and colourful in terms of the people living here. Each one of them is unique, distinct and independent. Your peaceful coexistence and cultural amalgamation is the hallmark of the district,” he pointed out.
Khandu informed that under the central government’s ambitious flagship programme, ‘Vibrant Village’ Tuting area will witness a rapid transformation.
Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2023, aims to comprehensive development of select villages in 46 blocks in 19 districts abutting the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh along with Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Ladakh.
The programme envisages focused areas of interventions in the select villages for the creation of opportunities for livelihood generation through the promotion of tourism and cultural heritage, skill development and entrepreneurship and development of cooperative societies including agriculture/horticulture, cultivation of medicinal plants/herbs etc. the interventions also include providing road connectivity to unconnected villages, housing and village infrastructures, energy including renewable energy, television and telecom connectivity.
“And recently Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned about 1022 km of roads under the programme for Arunachal Pradesh. We are thankful to the Modi government that Arunachal Pradesh has the most number of border villages listed under the programme,” Khandu said.
Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remodelling the concept of border villages, Khandu said that Gelling, which was known as the last village on the Indian side in Tuting sub-division, today has become the ‘first village’ on the Indian side.
He said under the present central and state governments connectivity sector in the state has witnessed a sea change. Be it roads, air, rail or digital, he said all modes of connectivity have significantly improved in the last 7-8 years.
Appreciating local legislator and Minister Health AloLibang for all-round development of the district, he noted that once the new Yingkiong-Tuting road is complete, the district will witness a surge in tourism activities.
Khandu in the presence of MP Tapir Gao, Libang and MLAs KalingMoyong and Ken to Jini inaugurated a bridge over the Nyigong River at Tuting.
Later in the day, Khandu reached Yingkiong, the district headquarters and on arrival inaugurated several developmental projects that include the upgradation of the road from Aalo-Yingkiong BRTF road to Dite-Dime to Migging BRTF road, a new CHC building and EAC office at Jengging, cement concrete pavement Nubo road, micro hydel station (2x25kw) at Man anda micro hydel station (1x30kw) at Palling.
At YingkiongKhandu and his entourage were joined by MLAs TalemTaboh and KanggongTaku.