Cabinet okays Rs 4,406 cr plan to develop 2,280 km border roads in Punjab, Rajasthan villages

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a ₹4,406 crore plan to develop 2,280 km roads in the border areas to connect the villages of Punjab and Rajasthan. I&B minister Ashwani Vaishnaw said these roads are part of the project to connect the border villages with main highways, which were coming up. This would help in connecting these border villages to markets and aid in trade.


The government has already launched programmes to upgrade border villages along the Line of Actual Control with China by providing telecom connectivity, roads, infrastructure, etc. In this regard, the government also launched the vibrant village programme last year.



The number of drones seized by the Border Security Force has gone up in the first seven months of this year as compared to previous year, said officials. The security forces have seized a large number of drones in Punjab and Rajasthan for smuggling of narcotics, arms and ammunition. Punjab has 23 districts and shares borders with Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. Besides Punjab, the drones are also sighted in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar, Bikaner and Jaisalmer (North). BSF also seized arms, ammunition, tiffin bombs and AK-47 pistols being ferried by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.