NATHANPUR, Feb 20: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched the second phase of the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) from Assam and inspected a stretch of the Indo-Bangladesh border.
During the first of his two-day visit to the poll-bound state, he also accused the Congress of allowing infiltration and not initiating development during its rule.
Shah launched the second phase of the VVP across the country from here in Assam’s Cachar district, and asserted that the project would help stop migration from border areas and prevent infiltration.
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Asserting that the development of border villages of the country is a priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah said the second phase of the VVP will cover 1,954 villages under the 334 blocks of 17 states bordering Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Addressing the programme at Nathanpur village, Shah also accused the Congress of leaving the country’s borders open, which led to infiltration in Assam, and claimed that the BJP government, headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has effectively dealt with the problem.
He alleged that the Congress did not initiate any development programme during its rule in the state, but “now 14 kms of road are being constructed daily, which is the highest in the country”.
Earlier, the border areas were considered the last villages, he said, adding that these were “not only the last in terms of locations but also the backwards in development, employment, education, electricity connection, road and telephone connectivity’’, he said.
He said that the Rs 6,900 crore nationwide programme (VVP-II) will also cover 140 villages under the 26 blocks in nine districts of Assam.
‘‘All 140 villages in Assam will enjoy the same facilities as those in the rest of the country’’, he added.
There are several plans related to security, scheme saturation and connectivity, which have been included in the programme, Shah said.
He said that the BJP government has initiated a lucrative industrial policy for Assam, and the VVP-II is an important component of it.
The VVP-II focuses on improving essential infrastructure, enhancing access to basic services, and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities, thereby fostering secure, resilient and prosperous border communities in alignment with the vision of the ‘Viksit Bharat’ 2047.
By strengthening these villages, the programme also enables residents to act as the eyes and ears of the nation, thereby contributing significantly to border security, the prevention of cross-border crimes and the strengthening of internal security.
“The Congress left the country’s borders open, which led to infiltration in Assam. The party did not initiate any development programme during its rule in the state,” Shah said, claiming that the “BJP government, headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has “effectively dealt with the infiltration problem”.
He claimed that the Assam government has stopped infiltration, violence and insurgency in the state.
The BJP government has already started the process of making the state free from floods, Shah said.
“The Congress had given only Rs 1.28 lakh crore for Assam from 2004 to 2014, but the PM has extended Rs 15 lakh crore in the last 10 years for the development of the state,” he said.
Shah said that over 24,000 kilometers of roads have been upgraded, hundreds to thousands of bridges have been constructed, and four major new bridges have been dedicated to the people of Assam in the past decade by the ‘double-engine’ government.
‘‘The BJP has made Assam secure and developed in the last 10 years, and in the next five years, it will make the state flood-free’’, he said.
After the launch programme, the home minister inspected the India-Bangladesh boundary at the Nathanpur border village.
Shah also reviewed the security arrangement along the international boundary and directed officials to maintain a strict vigil, officials said.
The home minister placed a wreath at the martyrs’ memorial in the BSF camp here and inspected the weapons on display, they said.
He also planted a banyan tree near the border.
Assam shares a 267.5-km border, both land and riverine, with Bangladesh, covering parts of Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar, Cachar, and Karimganj districts.
He concluded his visit to Barak Valley and left for Agartala.
Shah was scheduled to return to Guwahati and attend the CRPF’s annual day parade on Saturday at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, being held in the Northeast for the first time.
He will also lay the foundation stone of the new campus of the 10th Assam police battalion at Kachutoli in Sonapur in the afternoon.
This is Shah’s third visit since December 29 to poll-bound Assam, where the ruling BJP is aiming to retain power for the third consecutive term.
The elections to the 126-member assembly of the state are likely to be held in March-April. (PTI)
