“We are worshipers of both peace as well as strength”, Rajnath Singh while inaugurating Siyom Bridge in Arunachal

Itanagar: Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh on January 3 dedicated 28 border infrastructure projects constructed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) from Siyom Bridge site in Arunachal Pradesh.

BRO India has completed 103 infrastructure projects in 2022 at a cost of Rs 2897 crore. Out of these, 28 projects constructed in seven border states/ UTs at a cost of Rs 724 crore are being dedicated to the Nation today by the Raksha Mantri. This is the first visit of India’s Defence Minister to the after the clash between the Chinese and Indian Army on December 9, 2022 in Yangtse in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh.

The escalations in Galwan and Tawang have put the spotlight on border infrastructure construction with India moving on a war footing to close the gap with China which has speeded ahead in setting up assets’ roads, bridges, airstrips and villages on its side of the LAC.

According to a report of the Project Finance International, the BRO has constructed 3097 km of roads in Arunachal Pradesh in the last five years. The BRO has four projects in Arunachal Pradesh namely Arunank, Vartak, Brahmank and Udayak to maintain and develop infrastructure in the difficult geographical terrain and strategically important areas of this state.

Giving a strong message to the neighbours, Rajnath Singh said, “The message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has gone from the land of India itself. But we are worshipers of both peace as well as strength.”

Singh further added, “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi re-clarified India’s resolve by saying “this is not the era of war” and drew the attention of the world towards this resolve. That is, we do not believe in war. But if war is imposed on us, we are ready to face any challenge.” He said, The situations we faced in the northern sector in the past, and the way we were able to counter the adversary strongly, could not have been possible without adequate infrastructural development.

Praising BRO for its commendable infrastructure development in border areas, Singh said, “Most of the people understand that BRO works only for the Armed Forces. But I feel that BRO is connecting the countrymen with each other with the philosophy of “Connecting Places, Connecting People” . Seeing our armed forces moving forward together with the people of the country, I can say that then I had read BRO as ‘bro’ not wrong, but absolutely right. BRO means ‘Bro’ of our forces, BRO means ‘Bro’ of our countrymen,” Rajnath Singh added.

Talking about the border infrastructure development in North East region Singh said, We believe that the North-East region is the gateway not only for the overall development of our country, but also for our relations, trade, travel, and tourism with East Asia. The stronger this eastern part of our country is, the stronger our entire country will be.

He mentioned that in view of the changing world, changing times and the changing interests of nations, it is a great necessity for any nation to keep itself strong. In the coming days, some kind of conflict situation is visible in the world. However, India has always been against war, And this has been India’s policy.

It should be mentioned that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has recently constructed a road to one of the last border posts Maza, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in remote Upper Subansiri District in Arunachal Pradesh. The newly constructed infrastructures will give the Indian security forces much needed advantages over its enemy in the Northeastern sectors. Singh also inaugurated three Telemedicine Nodes in Medical Inspection Rooms located at remote and difficult locations of Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Mizoram.