Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said that border villages are not the ”last villages” of the country but its gateway where the nation begins, as he visited an area in Kathua district near the International Border.
Addressing residents of the six strategic villages in Karol Krishna, Sinha said such border settlements are no longer on the margins but have been brought to the centre of development.
“I always believe that this land is not India’s last village, but it is India’s first village and the gateway where our nation begins,” the LG said while handing over benefits under various government schemes to local families and appointment letters to youth.
Highlighting the development achieved since 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated, Sinha said all 216 border villages of Kathua district have been connected by roads and fully electrified. He said telecommunication and television facilities, which were once limited, have now reached every household.
“These figures are not just numbers and reports, but they represent real change in your lives,” he said.
Sinha said poverty levels have declined sharply, migration to cities has halved and rural incomes have increased by 30 per cent. Employment opportunities have also expanded, while unemployment has been reduced to nearly half of its earlier level.
He said more than 2,000 individual and community bunkers have been constructed for the safety of border families.
“Our goal should be that the entire population moves above the poverty line,” the LG said.
He also highlighted the role of women’s self-help groups in transforming the local economy. Under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, more than 1,300 self-help groups have been formed, benefiting over 12,000 families.
Women are engaged in tailoring, embroidery, crafts and small enterprises, thereby strengthening household as well as village economies, he said.
Sinha outlined four key priorities for the development of border villages — making villages self-reliant by connecting them to markets and promoting horticulture and dairy cooperatives; empowering youth through opportunities in agriculture, tourism, defence-support services and crafts; strengthening healthcare and tele-medicine connectivity; and reinforcing security infrastructure through greater coordination between civil administration and armed forces.
Calling upon the youth and families of Karol Krishna and neighbouring villages to take responsibility for shaping their future, the LG said their ancestors had held on to the soil despite several difficulties after Independence.
“Now it is your responsibility to take it forward. Today, resources are in your hands, and if there is any shortfall anywhere, I promise it will be addressed immediately,” he said.
During his visit to the Karol Krishna Border Outpost, the LG interacted with BSF personnel and commended their commitment to guarding the nation’s borders and their service during Operation Sindoor.
