Amit Shah Launches Vibrant Village Programme, Pledges Flood, Infiltration-Free Assam in 5 Years

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced plans to make Assam entirely flood-free and root out the problem of illegal infiltration in the next five years if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is voted to power. Shah, who arrived in Assam’s Barak Valley to officially inaugurate the Vibrant Village Programme II, addressed a massive gathering at Nathanpur village.

Shah spoke about how the Vibrant Village Programme initiative will bring development to bordering villages, mirroring the progress and growth seen in any other part of the country. He said, “Today we are officially beginning the Vibrant Village Programme-II, and through this, we will bring development to bordering villages and facilities like any other place across the country. This has been possible because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Shah recalled how the fringe villages were once called the last villages of India, not only because of their geographical location, but also because they were at the bottom in terms of development, with no connectivity, no growth and no improvement in education. “PM Modi, through the Vibrant Village Programme-I, decided that bordering villages are not the last villages, but should become the first villages of India,” he said.

Transforming Assam’s Border Villages

The Home Minister said, “As such, this village [Natanpur] is also going to become one of the first villages of India, not because of its vicinity to the border, but because it is going to be number one in education, employment generation, road and telecommunications, electricity—number one in everything.”

Shah remarked that the Centre is spending Rs 6,900 crore under the Vibrant Village Programme-II to develop 334 blocks and 1,954 villages in 17 states across the country. Of this, nine districts, 26 blocks and 140 villages are in Assam. He said that all amenities in these 140 villages will be on par with those in any other village in India. The project will be implemented in states sharing international borders with other countries, including Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. “Including the Pakistan and Bangladesh border regions, 334 blocks will be developed, and this development starts today. This includes many schemes ranging from security to connectivity,” he said.

“I have come to talk about Assam. Assam had two problems…illegal immigrants are snatching the rights of the Assamese people, and the Congress government left the borders open for these immigrants. They took the lands and the jobs of the people, and changed the demography here. However, 10 years ago, the people of Assam brought the BJP to power, and inthe first 5 years, we stopped illegal immigration. In the next 5 years, Himanta Biswa Sarma took away the lands illegally grabbed by these immigrants and pushed them back,” Amit Shah said.

He added, “The election is coming; bring the BJP to power, and I guarantee that every infiltrator who entered during the Congress rule will be sent back. They [Congress] ruled for years, but did nothing for the development of Assam. In 10 years, we did more than what Congress did in 50 years.”

Development Highlights

The minister highlighted how Assam ranked highest in the country in the rate at which roads were developed. In the last five years, Assam witnessed 14 kilometres of roads built every day, upgradation of 24,000 kilometres of roads, hundreds of small and four major bridge projects handed to the people, he said.

Speaking further, Shah said, “Poverty in Assam has come down from 37 per cent to 14 per cent in the last 10 years. The per capita income rose threefold from Rs 49,000 in 2013-14 to Rs 1.54 lakh. Before coming here, I met Lakhpati didis. They were very proudly claiming that they had become lakhpati and used the money to generate employment. This pride and self-confidence have come because of the good governance and peace.”

Combating Illegal Infiltration and Floods

“The Assam government has stopped infiltration, stopped bomb blasts and insurgency, and we have started the initiative to make Assam entirely flood-free in the next five years. This Brahmaputra water, which brings destruction, will now go to the fields of farmers and to big lakes, which will increase tourism. I inaugurated the scheme some days ago, and in the next five years, we will fill Assam with beels,” added the Home Minister.

Shah announced that Assam has become a hub for healthcare needs in the entire Northeast. Referring to the Jagiroad semiconductor plant, he said that apart from the Rs 27,000 crore investments there, many other industries are coming to Assam and within years, the state will become a “Viksit Rajya”.

Criticising the Congress for neglecting the state, he said, “Between 2004 and 2014, Congress gave only Rs 1.28 lakh crore to Assam. And Narendra Modi, in 10 years, has given Rs 15 lakh crore for the development of Assam. The Bogibeel bridge is among many other big projects that have happened under him. Rs 30,000 crore for road development, Rs 95,000 crore for rail infrastructure upgradation and Rs 10,000 crore for airport have been given by Narendra Modi along with a lucrative industrial policy. In the coming days, Assam will become a Vikist Rajya, and the Vibrant Village Programme is an important part of this. We aim to stop the inward migration of residents from border villages and to stop the influx of illegal immigrants through the borders.”