Govt aiming to transform villages along Chinese border: Defence minister

The government is aiming to transform the villages along the frontier with China in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh into "model villages", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday.

In an address at a conclave, Singh said New Delhi is fully committed to the holistic development of border villages and described them as India's "first villages" and not remote areas.

His comments came amid the government's increasing focus on boosting infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China following the eastern Ladakh row.

The civil-military collaboration in border areas is leading to reverse migration to the frontier areas, Singh said at the 'Border Area Development Conclave'.

The defence minister pointed out that India's geo-strategic position is such that it is exposed to different kinds of challenges and the best way to deal with them is to ensure border area development.

"Our objective is to transform the villages along the Northern borders, .