Dehradun: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Monday placed a signboard at the threshold of border village Mana, which read 'First Indian Village'.
Mana, a village located at the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand's Chamoli, earlier known as the last Indian village, will now be known as the 'first Indian village'.
The development comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October last year, endorsed Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's remark that Mana was the first village of the country and every border village should be the first village.
"Now even for me, every village on the border is the first village in the country," PM Modi had said.
Chief Minister Dhami said under the leadership of PM Modi, the border areas of the country were becoming more vibrant. "For this, the Vibrant Village programme has been initiated," Dhami said.
The 'Vibrant Village' scheme, which found mention in Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech in Parliament, aims to develop the villages in 46 border blocks across 19 districts, 4 states and one Union Territory -- Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Ladakh (UT) -- on the northern border.
He said the 'Vibrant Village' programme aims at developing border villages, improving the quality of life of villagers, harnessing the tourism potential by promoting local culture, traditional knowledge and heritage, and promoting community-based organisations, cooperatives and NGOs.
"The programme is also aimed at developing the eco-sustainable eco-agri-businesses on the concept of 'One Village, One Product'," Dhami added.
He said Vibrant Village Action Plans have been prepared by the district administration in collaboration with gram panchayats. The CM said the scheme will be helpful in preventing migration from border areas, adding that PM Modi's statement that "the third decade of the 21st century belongs to Uttarakhand fills us with new enthusiasm and energy. While it fills us with pride, it also makes us aware of our duties".
"In line with Modi-ji's vision, we are determined to work dedicatedly for the development and welfare of the state. To make Uttarakhand a leading state in every field by 2025, we have adopted the basic mantra of 'Resolve without option'," the CM added. —ANI
