Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicates 44 bridges constructed by Borders Roads Organisation (BRO) to nation

The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on October 12, 2020, dedicated 44 bridges to the nation via video conferencing. These bridges have been constructed by the Borders Roads Organisation (BRO) across seven States/Union territories.

The Union Minister also laid the foundation stone for Nechiphu Tunnel on the road to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, which is of extreme strategic importance amid the rising tension with China. The event of the inauguration of bridges was attended by Minister of State Jitendra Singh, Army Chief MM Naravane, and Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat.

In his address on the occasion, the Defence Minister congratulated DG and all the ranks of BRO for their achievement and stated that the dedication of 44 bridges in one go was a record in itself.

Extremely happy to dedicate 44 major permanent bridges to the Nation today. The Foundation Stone for Nechiphu Tunnel was also laid on this occasion in Arunachal Pradesh.

These border infrastructure projects are of strategic importance and provide connectivity to remote areas. pic.twitter.com/aaonpDFhUw

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 12, 2020

44 bridges across seven states/UTs:

Key Highlights:

• Defence Minister lauded BRO for its role in improving the border infrastructure and mentioned that these bridges have improved the connectivity in far-flung areas of Northern, Western, and North-East sectors and have also fulfilled the aspirations of local people.

• Under the current government, the annual budget of BRO that earlier varied from Rs. 3,300 crores to Rs. 4,600 crores in years 2008-2016 have seen a substantial rise of over Rs. 11,000 crores in 2020-2021.

• The Central government has also sanctioned the high altitude clothing to BRO workers and engineers.

• BRO has also a special emphasis on the construction of bridges by completing 28 bridges in 2019. While 102 major bridges are being completed in 2020 and 54 of these bridges are already completed.

• BRO has also constructed 60 Bailey Bridges to meet the requirements of armed forces and local people.

Significance of bridges in economic growth:

While dedicating 44 bridges to the nation, the Union Defence Minister highlighted that in line with PM Modi’s vision, these bridges will be contributing towards the overall economic growth of the borders in the remote areas. The bridges will also assist in the speedy deployment of armed forces in the sectors that are strategically important.