In India’s latest infrastructure push along the China border and other remote areas, defence minister Rajnath Singh will on October 12 dedicate 75 projects worth ₹2,236 crore to the country, including roads and bridges that will significantly boost military mobility and logistics support for deployed forces in forward areas in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
The development comes amid China’s unrelenting infrastructure push along the India border during the last five years.
Singh, who is visiting Sikkim on October 11-12, will open the strategic Kupup-Sherathang road and virtually inaugurate the remaining 74 projects, including a few in West Bengal, Nagaland, Mizoram, Rajasthan and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
This will take the count of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) infrastructure projects dedicated to the country this year to 111 at a total cost of ₹3,751 crore, the officials said, asking not to be named.
The minister will spend Dussehra (October 12) with frontline soldiers guarding the mountain frontier with the neighbour, where Indian and Chinese soldiers have been involved in faceoffs, as well as address the Army Commanders’ conference in Gangtok on October 11, the first time the top meeting is being held near the China border.
