Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Sarhad Vikasotsav in Dhordo, near the Pakistan border, on Thursday. On the occasion, he spoke about the development and security of Kutch and other villages in remote border areas of the country.
Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to hold festivals for marginal development wherever there are borders in the country. “Kutch and Bhuj had developed during Modiji’s tenure. The development has also made the border of Kutch more secure. It is a good thing to get a posting in Bhuj today, which was earlier considered a punishment. I am glad to see the development of Kutch. The awareness of border security is also needed among border sarpanches,” said the Home Minister, addressing the sarpanch of the three border districts of Gujarat: Kutch, Patan and Banaskantha.
Shah continued by saying, “Maa Ashapura has been blessing the border. The Diwali festival begins in Gujarat from today. Let’s move forward in the new year on the path towards development. I have come to Kutch after years. We remember the terrible earthquake. I had arrived just the day after the quake, which was a horrible sight at the time. Everything was shattered, nowhere intact. It was said that Bhuj would never recover. But seeing the new look of Kutch is satisfying. Once again, people have made their homes luxurious.”
Speaking about the development of border villages and how it can make the areas secure, Shah said, “Today, the Rann Utsav has become a centre of attraction. Such a program will be held on all the borders of the country. The purpose of such marginal development festivals is to provide for citizens living in border villages, to make facilities like the kind Delhi and Mumbai do available here. There will be several events in the coming days. Until each person living on the border is awakened, our borders will not be secured. You people here are the watchdogs of the border. You carry out responsibilities like the BSF and ITBP.”
Shah further said that national security is a priority and BSF personnel are able to respond to even the world›s biggest force with open eyes and chests. The union minister also addressed earlier attacks on the border, saying that, at present, the country›s response to the enemies of the country is jaw-dropping.
Home Minister Shah’s visit is a part of the Border Area Development Program (BADP) in Gujarat.