Archive · 20 Aug 2026
J&K LG Says Border Villages Are India’s First Gateway
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited six villages near the border.
He said these villages are important gateways to India, not forgotten places at the edge of the country.
The villages are part of a government development programme.
Sinha said all 216 border villages in Kathua now have roads and electricity.
He also said every household has access to telecommunications and television.
According to him, poverty and unemployment have fallen, while rural incomes have risen.
More than 2,000 bunkers have been built to help protect families.
Women’s self-help groups are helping families earn money through crafts and small businesses.
Sinha said future work should focus on jobs, markets, healthcare and security.
Manoj Sinha said border villages are India’s first villages and gateways to the nation, not its last settlements.
He visited six Kathua villages covered by the Vibrant Village Programme-Phase-2 and distributed government benefits and appointment letters.
Sinha said all 216 border villages in Kathua have roads, electricity, telecommunications and television access.
He reported lower poverty, halved migration to cities, 30% higher rural incomes and unemployment reduced to nearly half its earlier level.
Sinha outlined priorities including market access, youth opportunities, telemedicine and stronger coordination between civil authorities and security forces.
- Who
- Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, residents and youth of six Kathua border villages, women’s self-help groups, and Border Security Force personnel.
- What
- Sinha visited six border villages, distributed government benefits and appointment letters, reviewed development, and announced priorities for future development and security.
- When
- Thursday; the PTI report is dated August 20, but no year is specified.
- Where
- Karol Krishna, Rathua, Gujjar Chak, Gajnal, Bobiya and Kadiyala in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, near the International Border.
- Why
- To highlight development in border villages, address residents’ concerns, review implementation of the Vibrant Village Programme-Phase-2, and discuss security and economic priorities.
- Villages visited
- Karol Krishna, Rathua, Gujjar Chak, Gajnal, Bobiya and Kadiyala
- Kathua border villages
- 216 villages, which Sinha said are connected by roads and fully electrified
- Household access
- Telecommunication and television facilities reportedly reach every household
- Security infrastructure
- More than 2,000 individual and community bunkers have been constructed
- Women’s self-help groups
- More than 1,300 groups reportedly benefit over 12,000 families
- Reported economic changes
- Rural incomes rose by 30%; migration to cities halved; unemployment fell to nearly half its earlier level
- Development priorities
- Market connections, youth opportunities, horticulture and dairy cooperatives, telemedicine, and civil-military security coordination
