Border village development spurs reverse migration along border

The Arunachal Pradesh government has placed tremendous focus on development of border areas by improving connectivity and communication and strengthening agricultural activities, resulting in early signs of reverse migration, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said here.
“With half of the area and one-third of Arunachal Pradesh’s population living in border blocks, the state government has placed tremendous focus on development of border areas through such interventions,” Khandu said during a visit to this village along the border with China.
For decades, villages situated in the remote border areas have suffered from various challenges like poor connectivity, mountainous terrain, weak resource base and infrastructural bottlenecks, forcing people to migrate to developed areas, according to officials. Development of model village clusters, improving connectivity, strengthening the agriculture sector through ‘Atmanirbhar’ schemes and ‘Mission Krishi Veer’ to aggregate fresh fruits and vegetables to supply to armed forces are the key initiatives of the Arunachal Pradesh government aimed at all-round development of the border areas, they said.
Khandu further said the use of space technology and drones in the development of border areas, and partnerships with voluntary organisations are also being worked out. “These efforts of the Arunachal Pradesh government, with active help of the central government, have seen good results, and in some pockets, we have witnessed early signs of reverse migration,” he added.
Arunachal Pradesh has the longest international border in the country with a total length of 1,863 km. Of this, the state’s boundary with Tibet stretches for 1,126 km.