(TibetanReview.net, Jun04’26) – In order to keep its border areas inhabited and therefore alert to cross border intrusion from China, India is building its First Model Border Village in Ladakh. On Jun 3, the Union Territory’s Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena laid the foundation stone for the project at Chumur, a settlement located 16,700 feet above sea level in eastern Ladakh’s Changthang region, reported ndtv.com Jun 3.
Chumur, a remote village of just 24 households with 91 people near the India-Tibet border, would be developed as Ladakh’s first Model Border Village under India’s Vibrant Village Programme, aimed at creating “self-reliant, climate-resilient, tourism-enabled and economically vibrant border villages” in high-altitude frontier regions, LG Saxena has said on X.
The village, though small, sits at the centre of a broader effort to strengthen habitation in frontier regions that have witnessed migration due to harsh weather, difficult terrain and limited economic opportunities.
For years, border development was largely viewed through the lens of roads, bridges and strategic infrastructure. Increasingly, however, attention has shifted towards ensuring that remote settlements remain inhabited and economically viable, the report said.
The Ladakh administration has said all 24 households in Chumur Village will receive climate-resilient homes with thermally insulated walls designed to withstand the region’s extreme weather conditions. Each house will also include an additional room that can be used as a homestay, creating an additional source of income for local families. The houses are expected to be completed by Sep 2026.
The project will also focus on infrastructure development, livelihood generation, tourism promotion and support for local economic activities, including Pashmina production and traditional handicrafts.
A total of 10 such border villages will be developed in the first phase of the Vibrant Village Program, said the timesofindia.com Jun 3.
The Vibrant Village Programme, launched by New Delhi in 2023 to improve living conditions in villages located along India’s northern borders in the face of massive such initiative carried out by China in occupied Tibet’s border areas.
China has built a network of over 600 “Xiaokang” (meaning moderately prosperous or well-off) dual-use border settlements along its disputed frontiers with India and Bhutan. Functioning as fortified outposts, they are utilized to solidify territorial claims and provide logistical support. Many of these villages have been found to be built in disputed areas.