SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has laid the foundation stone for Ladakh’s first Model Border Village at Chumur, a strategically located settlement along the Indo-China border, under the Government of India’s Vibrant Village Programme (VVP).
It was indeed a matter of pride to have laid the foundation stone of Ladakh’s first Model Border Village at Chumur, under the Vibrant Village Program (VVP) in Changthang district in Eastern Ladakh. Jubilant, cultural celebrations by hundreds of locals, youth and senior citizens… pic.twitter.com/MpXT8EIs0t
— LG Ladakh (@lg_ladakh) June 3, 2026
Situated at an altitude of 16,700 feet, Chumur is home to 24 households and a population of 91 people, primarily engaged in Pashmina rearing and production. The project marks the first Model Border Village initiative in Ladakh and is among the earliest such developments being undertaken in the country.
The project is designed around four key objectives — infrastructure development, employment and livelihood generation, all-weather functionality, and civilian-defence integration — with the aim of strengthening border settlements and improving living conditions in remote frontier areas.
Under the programme, residents will be provided with climate-resilient passive solar houses capable of withstanding winter temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius. Each unit will include an attached bathroom, an additional room suitable for homestay activities, space for a kitchen garden, livestock sheds and fodder storage facilities. Officials said the houses are expected to be completed by September, subject to weather conditions.
To promote economic growth, the project envisages the development of Chumur as a tourism destination on the Korzok-Hanle circuit. Plans include a community-run café, support for handicrafts, promotion of Pashmina-based livelihoods and the development of value-added Pashmina products. A commercial greenhouse measuring 90 by 27 feet will also be established with support from DIHAR to facilitate year-round vegetable cultivation for local residents and nearby defence establishments.
Authorities said the village will function as an all-weather settlement with reliable water supply, improved sanitation and wastewater management, renewable energy-based power systems, modern digital connectivity and enhanced winter habitability. Essential public facilities, including a school, Primary Health Centre, community hall, parks, community café and Tourist Interpretation Centre, will form part of a central service hub.
Addressing the gathering, Saxena described the initiative as a transformative project aimed at enhancing national security, stability and resilience through the development of border communities.
He said Chumur had been selected as Ladakh’s first Model Border Village because of its strategic location and noted that the initiative reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of treating border villages as the country’s “first villages”.
Officials said 10 border villages will be developed as Model Border Villages during the first phase of the Vibrant Village Programme, beginning with Chumur. The foundation stone ceremony was attended by hundreds of local residents, including youth and senior citizens.
