Chumur village in eastern Ladakh has become India’s first model border village near the India–China border

Chumur village in eastern Ladakh has become India’s first model border village near the India–China border

¨     Chumur village in eastern Ladakh has become India’s first model border village near the India–China border.

¨     The project is being developed under the Union Government’s Vibrant Villages Programme.

¨     Chumur is located at an altitude of about 16,700 feet.

¨     The village has 24 households and a population of 91 people.

¨     Many residents are engaged in Pashmina rearing and production.

¨     It is located in a strategically important border region along the India–China frontier.

¨     The Vibrant Villages Programme is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at developing border villages with basic infrastructure and livelihood support.

¨     In its first phase, the programme includes plans to develop 10 model border villages.

¨     It focuses on infrastructure development, livelihood creation, all-weather connectivity, and civil-defence integration.

¨     The village will feature climate-resilient south-facing passive solar houses designed to withstand temperatures as low as -35°C.

¨     Each house will include an attached bathroom, an extra room for homestays or tourism, kitchen garden space, livestock sheds, and fodder storage facilities.

¨     The project also includes a commercial greenhouse supported by the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) for year-round vegetable cultivation.

¨   Additional facilities include water supply, sanitation, renewable energy-based power, digital connectivity, a school, a primary health centre, a community hall, parks, a café, and a tourist interpretation centre.