BALURGHAT, July 9 -- In a major push to fortify and elevate border regions, the Union Government has launched the ambitious 'Vibrant Villages Programme' across 66 border villages in South Dinajpur. Implemented by the Border Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the initiative earmarks approximately Rs 3 crore per village to overhaul transport, digital infrastructure, healthcare and education, while driving local employment.
With this rollout, South Dinajpur secures the second-highest count of designated "Vibrant Villages" in West Bengal, following Cooch Behar. The development targets 66 villages across six blocks sharing international borders: 18 in Balurghat, 17 each in Hili and Tapan, eight in Kumarganj and three each in Kushmandi and Gangarampur. Landlocked Banshihari and Harirampur are excluded.
The move follows protracted grievances over funding shortfalls under the previous Border Area Development Programme, which left many frontier pockets battling poor roads, erratic power and weak telecom networks. District Magistrate Balasubramanian T emphasised that the comprehensive upgrade aims to fundamentally bridge these gaps and elevate the quality of life.
Concurrently, the district convened its first District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting since the BJP assumed power in West Bengal. Chaired virtually from Balurghat's Baluchhaya Auditorium by Balurghat MP and Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, the session focused sharply on accountability.
Minister Majumdar directed administrative officials to pivot to rigorous field inspections rather than relying solely on desk reports. Key directives included expediting the transition of Gangarampur Sub-Divisional Hospital into a full-scale district hospital-leveraging the momentum of the new Balurghat medical college-and drafting blueprints for a super-speciality facility at Kushmandi.
The committee also pushed for universal household tap water connections across Tapan block, solar power integration in government offices and local ecological initiatives like river fish-stocking and MGNREGS pond renovations.
Strong concerns were voiced regarding crumbling road networks, notably in Harirampur, where several approved projects languish incomplete. Officials have been ordered to submit a comprehensive status report on these delayed roads and inspect waterlogged railway underpasses to frame immediate solutions. DM Balasubramanian T noted that DISHA oversees roughly 43 Central and State schemes. To ensure rigorous follow-through and seamless inter-departmental synergy, the committee will now convene every three months to monitor progress and accelerate the district's developmental roadmap.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.