Shillong, March 13: A delegation of journalists from Meghalaya, who are on an exposure visit to Sikkim, on Friday visited Tingda, a ‘Vibrant Village’ in North Sikkim.
Tingda is one of the villages covered under Government of India’s Vibrant Villages Programme.
During the visit, the journalists had a firsthand experience of the developmental initiatives being undertaken to strengthen infrastructure, connectivity and livelihood opportunities in remote border villages under the programme.
They were briefed by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) deputy commandant Prashant Kumar Sinha about the objectives and implementation of the programme and the role played by the ITBP in supporting developmental activities and community engagement in border areas.
The Vibrant Villages Programme was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2023, and Tingda village was included in Phase I of the programme.
Sinha said development of vibrant and economically active villages along the border is important not only from a developmental perspective but also from a strategic point of view, as it encourages people to continue living in these remote areas and strengthens India’s presence in border regions.
During the visit, the President of the Gram Panchayat of Tingda village also briefed the delegation about the village and the impact of the Vibrant Villages Programme on the local community.
He informed that Tingda village has around 213 households with a population of nearly 1,000 residents, and several development initiatives have helped improve infrastructure, connectivity and livelihood opportunities for the villagers.
The journalists also interacted with villagers, local representatives and community members, who shared their experiences about living in a border village and the changes brought about by various government initiatives under the Vibrant Villages Programme.
