October 10, 2024: In a significant move to enhance India's military readiness and infrastructure along its northern borders, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to inaugurate 75 projects worth ₹2,236 crore on October 12. This initiative aims to bolster logistics and military support for deployed forces in strategic areas, including Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

The announcement comes amid heightened infrastructure development by China along the border over the past five years. Singh's visit to Sikkim on October 11-12 will include the inauguration of the crucial Kupup-Sherathang road, with the remaining 74 projects being virtually launched from the region. These developments also extend to several other states, including West Bengal, Nagaland, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

This round of projects will increase the total number of infrastructure initiatives launched by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) this year to 111, amounting to ₹3,751 crore. Officials emphasized the importance of these projects for improving access and mobility for military operations in remote and strategically vital areas.

Singh will observe Dussehra on October 12 with frontline soldiers stationed along the mountain frontier, where ongoing tensions have led to faceoffs between Indian and Chinese forces. Additionally, he is scheduled to address the Army Commanders’ conference in Gangtok on October 11, marking the first time this high-level meeting will take place near the China border.