Galwan — the river valley in Ladakh — is known as the site of violent border clashes between India and China in June 2020, has been shortlisted by the Indian Army for “battlefield tourism” in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism. (Express Photo/File)The Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan website has been launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on January 15th. Take a look at the essential concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your knowledge nugget for today.
(Relevance: Government schemes and new initiatives form an important part of the UPSC syllabus. The government is highly invested in improving security in border areas. Promoting tourism in border areas and battlefields is part of this initiative. Therefore, it is important to understand the objectives of these schemes and initiatives.)
On the occasion of the 77th Army Day (15th January), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the “Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan” which is a dedicated website for visitors, including information on the 77 sites, their stories, and how to get there.
1. The Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan website will be a one-stop destination for the visitors to make all necessary arrangements for their travel planning, including how to apply for permits for some of these places, officials add.
2. The Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan website will feature details on various battlefields and border areas, offering virtual tours, historical narratives, and interactive content. The sites will also be highlighted by the Tourism Ministry as part of the Incredible India campaign.
3. Galwan — the river valley in Ladakh — is known as the site of violent border clashes between India and China in June 2020, wherein 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. In 2017, there was the Doklam standoff between the two Asian neighbours. Doklam is a tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China.
Eastern Ladakh
4. The Indian Army, in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, has shortlisted these two and 75 other forward sites alongside the country’s border that have witnessed military action in the past for “battlefield tourism.”
5. Most of these sites fall along India’s borders with China (Line of Actual Control) and Pakistan (Line of Control) that have had a history of wars after independence and other clashes in recent times — the 1962 war with China and the 1967 war, at Nathu La in Sikkim. Along the Western border, the Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagements during the India-Pakistan war of 1971, fought at the Indian border post of Longewala in the Thar desert.
6. These locations, previously restricted due to their strategic significance and challenging terrain, will now offer visitors first-hand insight into the experience of soldiers stationed in these remote regions.
7. The move is aimed at promoting connectivity, tourism, and socio-economic development in border regions. The Army is collaborating with local civil authorities to facilitate these efforts while maintaining high operational preparedness.
8. Defence Minister Singh had recently highlighted a 30 per cent increase in tourist numbers across Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh over the past four years, driven by improved infrastructure and growing interest in border tourism.
📍What is the Line of Actual Control?
The LAC is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km. It is divided into three sectors: the eastern sector which spans Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the middle sector in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the western sector in Ladakh.
📍How is the LAC different from the Line of Control with Pakistan?
The LoC emerged from the 1948 ceasefire line negotiated by the UN after the Kashmir War. It was designated as the LoC in 1972, following the Shimla Agreement between the two countries. It is delineated on a map signed by DGMOs of both armies and has the international sanctity of a legal agreement. The LAC, in contrast, is only a concept – it is not agreed upon by the two countries, neither delineated on a map or demarcated on the ground.
1. In 2023, the government launched the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’, a centrally sponsored scheme for the comprehensive development of select villages in 46 blocks abutting the northern border in 19 districts in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and the UT of Ladakh.
2. The programme’s targets are to provide comprehensive development of villages on the border with China and improve the quality of life of people living in identified border villages. The development in these villages aims to prevent migration and thus also boost security.
3. The Parliamentary Standing Committee in 2018 pointed towards backwardness, illiteracy, and lack of basic facilities and infrastructure in our border areas. The VVP aimed to address all these issues.
4. Development of growth centres on the “Hub and Spoke Model” through the promotion of social entrepreneurship, and empowerment of youth and women through skill development is one of the objectives of VVP.
5. The programme leverages tourism potential through the promotion of local, cultural, traditional knowledge and heritage in the border areas, thus increasing the employment opportunities of the people and, as a result, stemming migration.
(Source: Galwan to Siachen to Doklam, Line of Actual Control (LAC), Amit Shah launches Vibrant Villages Programme in Arunachal)
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