Sarpanches of ‘vibrant’ villages near China border to attend I-Day event

The communication, on “detailment of liaison staff for participation of VVP sarpanch in Independence Day-2023”, states: “It has been directed that in order to facilitate the sarpanch and guests, efforts be made to detail the majority of LOs from the vibrant villages district. These LOs will remain with their respective group from pick-up point of district headquarters to Delhi and back to district headquarters till the time the group is taken over by the district administration”.

“There should be a reasonable number – commensurate to the women guests — of women personnel also… It is understood that there will be a possibility of not finding the individual from the exact place or district in such case, the best possible substitute be selected and sent as LOs. Since it would be more difficult to find women staff from such places, hence, in such a situation, the women staff having reasonable command over English be detailed,” it adds.

“There will be issues of authorisation to travel by air, so the respective nodal officer may take up the matter with the Director General for directions on the issue, keeping into account the provision of special flights being arranged for the guests. For the number of subordinate officers (SOs), please make a suitable mix of LOs, especially in the case of Arunachal Pradesh. Among SOs, give precedence to ITBP personnel, irrespective of ranks, from the local districts,” says the communication.

Speaking to The Sunday Express, Sarita Rawat, sarpanch of Bagori village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, said: “On July 2, I was informed by panchayat officials that I have to attend the Independence Day function at Red Fort. I, along with eight neighbouring sarpanches, have been invited, and the ITBP personnel are coordinating with us. I will come with my husband. I have been the sarpanch of my village since 2019; our village was included as a vibrant village this year.”

Dinesh Rawat, sarpanch of Harsil village in Uttarkashi district, said: “About a week back, the district administration and ITBP personnel asked me to share my documents to make passes for Independence Day. I am yet to receive a formal invitation, but I have been told that I, along with my wife, have been invited. Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy visited my village in April, and we discussed several developmental plans with him.”

The Vibrant Villages Programme, first announced in the 2022 Budget as part of the Centre’s attempts to upgrade infrastructure in areas along the China border, was launched by Home Minister Amit Shah in the border village of Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh in April.

Under this centrally sponsored scheme, 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts, abutting the country’s northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, have been identified for “comprehensive development”. Of these, about 662 villages have been identified for the first phase of the programme.

The government has approved the allocation of Rs 4,800 crore for the scheme. Inaugurating a workshop on the programme in Delhi in May, Shah had said the Centre has spent over Rs 25,000 crore on border infrastructure in the last nine years and priority should be given to the vibrant villages in mapping of schemes, both at the central and state levels.