India-China Border In BJP Manifesto — Here's What It Says About Development Of Infrastructure Along The Frontier

In its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections released today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised to "accelerate" the development of infrastructure along the frontier with China.

Infrastructure development, including roads and bridges for faster movement of troops and equipment, has been a focus of the BJP-led government since 2014.

During the United Progressive Alliance governments led by the Congress, the policy of keeping border areas less developed was adopted, as then Defence Minister AK Antony had once stated on record.

"The gross neglect by previous governments resulted in poor infrastructure in border areas. We have corrected this grave error and commenced the construction of roads, railways, telecom towers, optical fiber cables, and electricity networks," states the BJP manifesto.

"We will accelerate the development of robust infrastructure along the Indo-China border," it adds.

Experts believe one reason for China's aggressive posturing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh was triggered by India's recent rapid construction of border roads.

Until a few years ago, China changed the status quo along the Line of Actual Control at will, as India lacked the ability to challenge such fait accompli due to the lack of infrastructure.

However, with the infrastructure gap rapidly narrowing, India has been able to challenge such Chinese actions, leading to more stand-offs in recent years, argue experts.

As Swarajya has previously explained, China has been rapidly developing villages along Tibet's frontier with India and relocating new inhabitants to establish a permanent presence along the boundary.

Under its “Xiaokang" or "well-off" villages programme, China has developed over 600 settlements along the border with India and Bhutan, some in territory claimed by New Delhi and Thimphu. To convince Tibetans to move to these villages, the Chinese Communist Party has invested in infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and the power grid. Apart from spending billions on infrastructure development, China has used economic incentives, including annual subsidies going up to 12,000 yuan ($1,800), to get reluctant Tibetans to move to border villages.

This comes at a time when many Indian villages along the frontier are either becoming ghost villages or experiencing significant depopulation.

In Uttarakhand, for example, over 185 villages in three districts bordering Tibet — Uttarkashi, Chamoli, and Pithoragarh — were added to the list of "completely depopulated" or "ghost" villages in seven years between 2011 and 2018. Nine of these villages are located within an aerial distance of 5 km from the boundary.

To reverse this trend, the government is currently developing 662 border villages with an outlay of Rs 4,800 crore, the manifesto states.

Also Read: 'Vibrant Villages Programme' For The Northern Border With China And What India Wants To Achieve With It