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MLAs of Arunachal Pradesh united to constitute a forum in order to stop people migrating from the border areas. The newly formed forum “Indo-China Border Development Legislators of Arunachal Pradesh” is aimed at devising plans and strategies to develop the backward areas along the Indo-China border region.

MLAs from the constituencies of the border region met at Itanagar on Saturday to discuss the problem of migration from the backward areas along the Indo-China border and suggest a developmental framework to mitigate the problem.

Assembly Speaker Passang Dorjee Sona ,who was named as the Chairman of the forum, said, “The border residents lack basic amenities and they tend to migrate to urban areas for a better life. The only way we can check their migration is by giving them opportunities through development initiatives.” Sona is a representative from the Mechuka constituency.

In the past, the local residents living near the border, were India’s first line of defense, and reported Chinese infraction to the security forces. However, recent years have seen a stable influx of people from the border areas to Itanagar in search of jobs while the border region itself remains underdeveloped.

The MLAs from the border constituencies through the forum recognize the urgent need to stop or reverse this influx of people from the border areas and hence avoid further isolation of the area which might trigger Chinese infiltration. The forum also acknowledges that the guidelines of the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) hinders any move to develop the region. The forum also seek to modify the guidelines of the BADP besides suggesting an improvised method of funds allocation, blockwise utilisation certification by abolishing the practice of collective submission.