Amit Shah urges people to visit India’s ‘first village’ Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh

PTI, Apr 13, 2023, 3:21 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday urged people to visit Kibithoo — ”India’s first village” — in Arunachal Pradesh to enjoy its natural beauty and take inspiration from its history.

Shah visited and stayed overnight in Kibithoo, which is India’s eastern most forward post, along the border with China, on April 10.

Posting a video showing the snow-clad mountains, waterfalls, river and valleys in the village, Shah wrote on Twitter: ”Captured the beautiful landscapes during my visit to Kibithoo, India’s first village. Arunachal Pradesh is blessed with immense natural beauty. I urge all to visit Arunachal Pradesh, especially Kibithoo, to be inspired by its history and stunned by nature’s marvels”.

During his trip, the home minister had said that Kibithoo should not be termed as India’s last village but first village as the Sun’s rays fall first in this village in the country.

The area also has a military history as Kibithoo and neighbouring Walong had witnessed a fierce battle during the Chinese aggression in 1962 during which the Indian Army soldiers fought bravely against China’s PLA and defended the country’s territory.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, commented on Shah’s post: ”#IncredibleIndia #DekhoApnaDesh #ArunachalPradesh #NorthEast”.

The home minister posted a similar video on Twitter on Wednesday, and wrote: ”Traveled from Kibithoo to Walong, known as India’s easternmost road. The smooth surface road along a remote frontier manifests PM @narendramodi Ji’s vision to develop border areas. The #VibrantVillagesProgram will further boost connectivity and development in border villages”.

Shah launched the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) in Kibithoo on April 10.

The VVP is a centrally sponsored scheme under which 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts abutting northern border in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and UT of Ladakh have been identified for comprehensive development.

In the first phase, 662 villages have been identified for priority on coverage, which includes 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh.

The VVP will help in improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages and encourage people to stay in their native locations thereby reversing the out migration from these villages and adding to security of the border, the home ministry had said in a statement.