India is going to boost its remote border villages - especially those facing China - with better infrastructure and connectivity in a move to ensure that do not fall prey to the Chinese propaganda lure.  

The Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in parliament Tuesday says, “Border villages with a sparse population, limited connectivity and infrastructure often get left out from the development gains. Such villages on the northern border will be covered under the new Vibrant Villages Programme. The activities will include the construction of village infrastructure, housing, tourist centres, road connectivity, provisioning of decentralized renewable energy, direct to home access for Doordarshan (public broadcaster) and educational channels, and support for livelihood generation. Additional funding for these activities will be provided." 

China has been ramping up infrastructure along its border years for quite some time and the development of China's border areas by establishing new villages with added emphasis on security has been accorded a priority since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. It is continuing to build what the Indian Army refers to as 'dual-use' border villages - for use during both peace and war - and the plan by the Chinese Communist Party was designed to ensure better access to housing, water, electricity, roads, communications and the internet, to improve education, technology, culture, healthcare and social security in border villages, and to boost industries in border areas.

In the last few years border villages, townships and counties in Tibet have been granted more preferential state policies on infrastructure construction, covering water, electricity, roads, and housing, a white paper on Tibet published last year said.

India's new Vibrant Villages programme will similarly focus on transforming its border villages — a cornerstone for securing its sovereignty especially with continued geostrategic friction with its neighbours, some of whose brunt is borne by border villages, according to the digital platform  Firstpost.

By developing village infrastructure, bettering opportunities of livelihood, and ensuring that the state-run Doordarshan reaches the areas, India is deepening its efforts to sanitise and secure its sovereignty needs as the world continues to go through turbulence, both in terms of health and security, said the Firstpost report by columnist Hindol Sengupta.

Sitharaman also mentioned the government's resolve “to enable affordable broadband and mobile service proliferation in rural and remote areas".

"Our vision is that all villages and their residents should have the same access to e-services, communication facilities, and digital resources as urban areas and their residents," the Finance Minister stated. 

(SAM)