Itanagar, Aug 15 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday said the state’s border villages are emerging as new destinations for tourism, livelihood and local enterprise, with the Vibrant Village Programme opening up new opportunities for frontier communities.
Hoisting the Tricolour at Indira Gandhi Park here on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day, Khandu said the programme is improving infrastructure, strengthening local livelihoods and showcasing the natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of border villages.
Under Phase-I of the Vibrant Village Programme, projects worth around Rs 2,800 crore are being implemented in 455 villages along the India-Tibet (China) border, he said. Under Phase-II, another 122 villages along the India-Myanmar and India-Bhutan borders have been included in the programme.
The Chief Minister said the initiatives are aimed at strengthening basic infrastructure and connectivity in remote frontier areas while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities.
Highlighting the state’s enormous hydropower potential, Khandu said Arunachal Pradesh has a unique role to play in India’s clean energy transition and in achieving the country’s net-zero goals.
“Guided by this vision, we declared 2025-2035 as the Decade of Hydropower, with a target of commissioning nearly 19 GW of hydropower capacity, supported by investments of approximately Rs 1.9 lakh crore,” he said.
The Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, described as India’s largest hydropower project, has already operationalised four of its eight generating units, producing 1,000 MW of clean energy. The remaining four units are expected to become operational this year, Khandu said.
He said the Union Government has approved investments of about Rs 40,175 crore for the 1,720 MW Kamala Hydro Electric Project and the 1,200 MW Kalai-II Hydro Electric Project. Work is also progressing on the Tato-I, Tato-II and Heo hydroelectric projects.
Referring to the challenges posed by the state’s difficult terrain, scattered habitations and connectivity gaps, Khandu said his government has worked over the past decade to bridge these gaps and ensure that the benefits of development reach the last mile.
“Development must touch every life and every region, and no citizen should be left behind because of distance, terrain or circumstance,” he said.
Khandu said more than 1.5 lakh women are now organised into over 16,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs), with thousands of them becoming entrepreneurs, community leaders and agents of change.
Highlighting the education sector, he said Rs 3,112.50 crore has been invested in Phase-I of Mission Shikshit Arunachal to transform the education system through reforms in infrastructure, governance, teaching quality, digital education and institutional capacity. Another Rs 500 crore has been invested to upgrade 50 government schools into Golden Jubilee Schools, creating modern and future-ready learning environments.
These initiatives have already contributed to a 13.33 per cent increase in enrolment in government schools, he said.
The Chief Minister also expressed solidarity with families affected by the recent floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh and neighbouring Assam and Nagaland. “Nature has tested us once again, bringing immense challenges to our communities, disrupting lives, livelihoods and vital infrastructure,” he said.
Khandu expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for approving the advance release of Rs 44.55 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund, saying the assistance has strengthened relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts in flood-affected areas.
An Inter-Ministerial Central Team also visited the state to assess the damage and extend necessary support, he said. Khandu recalled Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Itanagar on September 22, 2025, when he dedicated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth over Rs 5,100 crore. On the occasion, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stones for the 186 MW Tato-I and 240 MW Heo hydroelectric projects, involving cumulative investments of over Rs 3,700 crore in the state, he said.
Emphasising the need for environmentally sustainable development, Khandu said Arunachal Pradesh, as the custodian of some of India’s richest forests, rivers, biodiversity landscapes and mountain ecosystems, has a responsibility to pursue development in a climate-resilient and environmentally responsible manner.
He also highlighted efforts to promote the state’s rich Buddhist heritage following the Union Budget announcement on developing Buddhist circuits in the Northeast.
–IANS
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