<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the border population is </span>strategic<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> asset to the country and important element to maintain border security. </span></div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mr Singh said this while interacting with Field and State Level Officers implementing Border Area Development Programme (BADP) in New Delhi. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The Minister said, Centre has released one thousand one hundred crore rupees in 2017-18 for the all-round development of villages located along the international border in 17 states. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He said, the Ministry has decided to develop 61 model villages for which 126 crore rupees has been released. Each model village will provide all basic facilities like primary health centre, primary education, community centre, connectivity, drainage and drinking water to enable sustainable living in border areas.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He said, all the efforts will be made to improve social and economic infrastructure to ensure that these people continue to live in border villages. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The Minister said, government accords utmost priority to social and economic well-being of border population and to provide them all facilities like connectivity, safe drinking water, schools, hospitals and other facilities to ensure sustainable living in these areas. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">On the occasion, Mr Singh launched BADP Online Management System for better planning, monitoring and implementation of various projects under the Border Area Development Programme. </div>