In the wake of allocation of Border Area Development Programme (BADP) funds by the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2019-20 for Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Secretary of the state has conducted an important meeting to review the Annual Action Plans of the districts covered under it. CS has categorically asked officials to lay stress on initiating beneficiary oriented projects and doubling of farmers income and also to pursue a thorough implementation methodology so that benefits actually reach the people intended. Not only for this particular programme, the most important and challenging part of any welfare scheme in the country is perhaps the implementation part at micro levels, based on which an overall assessment of the efficiency of governance is generally made.

BADP is a central government initiative which currently extends to all land borders of the country covering396 border blocks of 111 border districts in 17 states including Arunachal Pradesh. The funding pattern is 90:10 (Centre: State) for Arunachal and other Northeastern states and its core aim arose from the necessity of addressing certain unique issues confronting the vast stretches of these areas. It was noticed by policy planners that although usual developmental schemes and programmes encompass the entire length and breadth of the country, there is still a sharp necessity for meeting the special development needs particularly concerning the essential infrastructure of the people living in these remote and almost inaccessible areas.

 

In Arunachal, the significance of BADP needs hardly any elaboration since 15 of its total 25 are border districts and it will be quite logical to say that for the overall progress of the state, successful implementation of this programme is greatly necessary. It has also been observed that socio-economic prosperity of the border regions go a long way in keeping various cross-border anti-national activities at bay, thereby boosting border security. Thus for narrowing the critical gaps in socio-economic infrastructure in these districts and also forboosting confidence, sense of security and belongingness among the border population which is a strategic asset for the country, it is necessary that BADP gets a continued administrative nurturing.

The ideas of model villages and stressing on the core strengths like animal husbandry & veterinary, dairy, agriculture and horticulture etc. for increasing farmers’ income in the state are all very encouraging. But since BADP follows a state-centric participatory decentralized model, it goes without saying that a strict implementation mechanism can only ensure its long-term success.

And as the larger part of the border of Arunachal is with China, the most unpredictable neighbour one would wish to have, it is as much a strategic need for both  the state and country as a developmental one. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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