Ever wondered how a once land-locked state in the North Eastern part of India is strengthening its connectivity infrastructure at an incredibly fast pace in just a couple of years? As per reports, investment to the tune of billions is flowing into the state and being channelled into the construction of strategic highways & bridges, tunnels, all-weather roads, airports & airfields, and beyond. 

It is also the largest state in North East India, and was recently recognized as the most improved small state by a national media house. If you haven’t guessed it yet, I’m talking about Arunachal Pradesh - land of the dawn lit mountains. 

The factors contributing to the rapid development of the state are simple to understand. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1126 km border with China. Naturally, the development of the state in terms of connectivity infrastructure, especially in border areas, is crucial to India’s defence preparedness against our not-so-friendly neighbour, who has a habit of barging in unannounced. On the other hand, the state also shares borders with Myanmar and Bhutan; thereby leading to its development as a strategic advantage for India in forging strong economic ties with Southeast Asian nations.

In addition to it, the state government under the leadership of Pema Khandu is proactive in augmenting the state revenue from multiple streams. This includes boosting tourism and hospitality, strengthening connectivity, accelerating power generation, nature & culture conservation, and more. 

Good Governance Showing Up

The thing that makes it all the more remarkable for Arunachal Pradesh taking giant leaps in development is not only rooted in its strategic location, but is also a direct outcome of the proactive outlook of the state government backed by priority support from the centre in making it possible. 

Apart from Chief Minister Khandu, Arunachal’s Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein is equally vocal about the active intervention of the state Govt in pushing development forward. But if you think it’s only infrastructure development in order to strengthen India’s border security is at play, you have thought wrong. 

In a consistent streak, both Khandu and Mein have been strongly advocating for preserving the indigenous culture of the state while also reviving the rich history reflecting on the numerous unsung heroes of Arunachal that remained unrecognised in Indian History for a long time. But this is changing now. In a bid to document the saga of unsung heroes of Arunachal Pradesh, a report was submitted to Chowna Mein by the Department of History, Rajiv Gandhi University, who were entrusted with this humongous task under the supervision of the Deputy Chief Minister. 

On February 20, Arunachal Pradesh will be celebrating its statehood day - when the comprehensive report on the unsung heroes will be finally released. And it will then make its way to school syllabi to ensure that the future generations grow up learning about the contributions of their ancestors during the independence of India.

Advancing Arunachal with active interventions

To expedite the development of the state, the state Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh has adopted a flagship program of 365 projects in 365 days, under which five micro hydel projects have been completed. Deputy Chief Minister Mein took to social media to announce the progress made, and stated that its successful completion is helping the Govt. to connect every household with electricity. 

Fulfilling the promise of connecting every household with electricity, GoAP has completed 5 MHS under its flagship programme of 365 projects in 365 days. These MHS will promote enhanced quality of life in rural pockets of Arunachal and boost economic development.@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/5TLLBs1eBl
— Chowna Mein (@ChownaMeinBJP) January 26, 2023
 

In another post by Chief Minister Khandu, he talked about various infrastructure projects including the construction of bridges and workplace establishment for different departments under the state flagship program.

Every project ~ big or small ~ is important. It makes people’s lives easier and has a significant impact on the bottom line. For example, a bridge over nallah saves time and energy, making commuting hassle-free. Development at the grassroots level means to have no infra gap. pic.twitter.com/vIDrK1VVtE
— Pema Khandu པདྨ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་། (@PemaKhanduBJP) February 4, 2023
 

The above mentioned data barely gets into the depth of the complete list of developmental projects ongoing in the state under different sectors. But one can concur that Arunachal Govt means business when it comes to taking the state to new heights of progress. As per an official source, the state revenue of Arunachal has doubled in a span of decade. And it is anticipated to compound at a rapid pace in the coming years.