PM Modi Emphasises Arunachal’s Unity with Mainland India, Launches Key Development Projects

PTI, Kolkata, Sept 22, 2025 : Addressing a public meeting at Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, on Monday, it was a different Narendra Modi who invoked the Donyi Polo, the sun and the moon gods, and prayed for their blessings for all.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Arunachal was not only the land of the rising sun but also a land of fervent patriotism. “From the Tawang Monastery to the Golden Pagoda in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh represents a confluence of peace and culture,” he said, thus emphasising that from the lofty mountains to the north bordering Tibet to the foothills bordering Assam, Arunachal was one; and at the same time paying obeisance to the religious beliefs of people living in Buddhist Arunachal Pradesh towards the west to the followers of traditional religious faiths living mostly in the eastern parts of the state.

“Just as the first colour of the national flag is saffron, Arunachal’s spirit too begins with saffron,” he said, indicating that Hinduism too was a thriving religious faith in Arunachal and sending the message that the state was an integral part of mainland India.

“Arunachal is not only the land of the rising sun but also a land of fervent patriotism,” the Prime Minister said, in an oblique message to China which has laid an illegal claim on the whole of the state and attached to it a foreign name ‘Zangan.’

Projects worth ₹5,100 crore, which the Prime Minister inaugurated during the event, were designed to improve connectivity to the furthest corners of the state, to make life more habitable in villages close to the borders with the Tibet plateau, to improve the health facilities of the people, increase the availability of power and to bring more tourists to the state.

Areas where roads were once unimaginable were now witnessing the construction of quality highways. Infrastructure like the Sela Tunnel, which was once considered impossible, had now become a symbol of the progress of Arunachal.

Pointing out that previous governments had ignored the development of Arunachal Pradesh because it had just two seats in Lok Sabha, he said this approach had left the state and the North-East far behind in the race for development. With the ‘nation first’ approach of his government, border villages once dismissed as “last villages” had now been recognized as the nation’s “first villages.”

The Prime Minister highlighted the positive outcomes of this shift, noting the accelerated pace of development in border areas. The success of the Vibrant Villages Programme has significantly improved the quality of life. In Arunachal Pradesh alone, over 450 such border villages have witnessed rapid progress, with essential infrastructure like roads, electricity, and internet now reaching these regions.

The Prime Minister remarked that while migration from border areas to cities was once common, these villages were now emerging as new hubs of tourism. “The upcoming modern convention centre in Tawang will add a new dimension to the state’s tourism landscape,” he said. “The Vibrant Villages Programme launched by the Government of India is proving to be a milestone for villages located along the border, significantly aiding Arunachal’s development.”

The Prime Minister during the day laid the foundation stone of two major hydropower projects worth over ₹3,700 crore: the Heo Hydro Electric Project (240 MW) and Tato-I Hydro Electric Project (186 MW) in the Siyom sub-basin. He also laid the foundation stone of a state-of-the-art Convention Center at Tawang that would serve as a landmark facility to host national and international conferences, cultural festivals, and exhibitions, with a capacity to host over 1,500 delegates, and multiple key infrastructure projects worth over ₹1,290 crore catering to various sectors including connectivity.