(TibetanReview.net, Mar07’25) – A resurgent India is rehabilitating the border villages it evacuated during the 1962 war with China, with the matter being highlighted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Tibet-border state of Uttarakhand.
The Prime Minister announced Mar 6 that the government had launched a campaign to rehabilitate villages along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Uttarakhand that were abandoned during the India-China war of 1962, reported indiatoday.in Mar 6.
Visiting Harsil, Modi has said that two villages in the state’s Uttarkashi district were being transformed into major tourist destinations.
“People might know that when China attacked India in 1962, these two villages of ours were evacuated. People may have forgotten, but we cannot forget,” Modi was quoted as saying.
“We have launched a campaign to rehabilitate these two villages and are working towards making them major tourist destinations,” he has added.
India has embarked on an initiative to develop “vibrant villages” along the border with Chinese ruled Tibet. Under “Operation Sadbhavana”, the Indian Army is also actively engaged in border area development, the report said.
“Our effort is to ensure that the border areas of Uttarakhand reap special benefits from tourism. Earlier, these villages were referred to as the last villages, but we changed this perspective. We now call them our first villages. The ‘Vibrant Villages’ programme was launched for their development, and 10 villages from this region have been included in the scheme,” Modi was quoted as saying.
However, identifying the rightful heirs of the vacant land remains a major challenge for the authorities, given that over 60 years have passed and many original landowners are no longer alive, the report noted.
Besides, revitalizing commercial activities is essential to help the local population sustain their livelihoods within these villages. Efforts to boost tourism are seen as a step in this direction, the report added.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Modi flagged off a trek and bike rally in Harsil after offering prayers at the winter residence of Maa Ganga in Mukhwa, the report said.