Arunachal Pradesh: 120 ghost villages along Indo-China border to be converted into "Vibrant Villages"

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given its stamp to transform 100 ‘ghost villages’ along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh under the ‘Vibrant Village Programme’, countering China’s ‘model village’ plan along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

With the aim of bolstering infrastructure in the ‘ghost villages’, a detailed report for the programme has been prepared which includes the construction of village infrastructure, housing, tourist centres, schools, hospitals, road and electricity connectivity, television connectivity, etc which are required for livelihood generation. 

Due to limited or no facilities, these villages which are located in the remote contours of the state, are usually abandoned by the people or migrate to other habitable areas and come back only once a year to worship their family deity. These clusters of houses are then termed as “ghost villages” as not a single living being is found residing here in these villages.

There are about 500 such villages along the India-China border that are abandoned or have sparse population due to limited resources. Usually connectivity and infrastructure often get left out of the development gains due to their remote location. 

The government is mulling plans to bring such villages under the ambit of the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ and a series of infrastructure will be scaled up under this scheme so that the ghost villages become vibrant villages.
As per plan, a helipad will be constructed in between two or three villages to evacuate the residents in case of a serious ailment or emergency situation like during a natural calamity. 

Along with 120 villages in Arunachal Pradesh, 115 villages in Uttarakhand, 80 villages bordering Himachal Pradesh and 50 in Sikkim have been picked up for this project. 

Earlier, the government of Uttarakhand designated 100 villages in 11 blocks that border China under the International Border Development Programme, which aims to lessen border movement and offer job opportunities for young people. Additionally, the hilly state's remote villages have received basic services like water, roads, and power connectivity.