Gue and Lalung, two villages in the tribal region of Lahaul and Spiti close to the China border, have been chosen by the Central Government for development under the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP).
The Kaza administration has started a project to gather the information required on the needs of these villages’ residents in terms of development. A committee made up of representatives from tourism, art and culture, education, jal shakti, health, and other agencies has been established to survey these communities and determine the needs of the locals. Within a month, the Center would receive a comprehensive summary of the poll for further consideration.
Speaking to The Tribune, Kaza ADC Abhishek Verma revealed that a study was performed in the Spiti valley to choose the border villages in this district for the programme by a DGP-rank officer of the Centre and a Director-level officer of the Textile Ministry.
12 of the 13 gram panchayats in the Spiti valley were chosen for the Border Area Development Program, the ADC has stated (BADP). The administration had asked the Center to add the one that was still available.
“Under the programme, just one border settlement was chosen in the vast majority of states or districts. However, Lahaul and Spiti is the only district in which two villages have been chosen as part of the initiative to provide the infrastructure and development needed to prevent population exodus from the area.
This year’s budget speech by the Finance Minister contained an announcement about the initiative. The initiative plans to cover border settlements along the northern border with a low population, poor infrastructure, and little access to development programmes. Under the VVP, convergence of current schemes is suggested.
In 460 border blocks of 117 border districts in 16 states and two UTs, the Center is implementing the BADP through the state governments/UT administrations in settlements located within 0 to 10 km of the first settlement at the international boundary. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, J&K (UT), and Ladakh are among them (UT).