Need to realign CSS’ for border areas: Felix

SURAJ KUND, 28 Oct: Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Bamang Felix stressed the need to “realign centrally-sponsored schemes (CSS) to take care of the peculiar needs of the border villages.”

He said this during a two-day ‘chintan shivir’ organised here in Haryana by the home affairs ministry from 27 to 28 October.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the camp, which was attended by the home ministers, home secretaries and DGPs of various states and UTs.

Shah stressed on “saturation of the welfare schemes of the government of India and the state government on priority in the border areas; expediting the process of land acquisition for strategic projects; and review of border areas department notification as per new age needs.”

Felix also co-chaired a special session on border management issues, during which he thanked the Centre for the rapid improvement in border infrastructure in the past 7-8 years. He pitched also for “recognising selfless service provided by some of the Arunachali citizens during the 1962 war and in the last 60 years to protect the country.”

Congratulating the home affairs ministry for introducing the ‘vibrant village programme’, which is aimed at bringing vibrancy in the border villages, Felix said that “Border villages in Arunachal Pradesh will be the biggest beneficiaries of this programme.”

Discussions on topics such as cyber security, enhancing conviction rate, drug trafficking, national security, fire-civil defence, home guard, police modernisation, human resource development, and border management were also held.

Arunachal’s Planning Commissioner Prashant S Lokhande delivered a presentation on border management issues.

DGP Satish Golchha, Home Joint Secretary Jalash Pertin and SIT/Crime SP Rohit Rajbir Singh also accompanied the home minister.