The Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, on Thursday stressed the need for expediting land acquisition in Arunachal Pradesh to ensure the timely execution of essential defence infrastructure projects.

General Dwivedi, who called on state governor Lt Gen K T Parnaik (Retd) at Raj Bhavan here, also called for the establishment of Zilla Sainik Boards in the state to provide vital support to ex-servicemen and their families.

According to an official statement issued by Raj Bhavan after the meeting between the duo, Dwivedi stressed on “the need to expedite the process” of land acquisition “so that essential defence infrastructure projects could move forward without delay”.

Arunachal Pradesh borders China, Myanmar and Bhutan. China regularly claims the frontier state to be part of South Tibet.

Issues related to security, frontier highway and developmental projects were discussed in the meeting.

He also shared his concern with the governor regarding the relatively low participation of the state’s youth in applying for vacancies in the armed forces while urging more awareness, guidance and encouragement to inspire more young people from the state to join the forces.

The army chief also met chief minister Pema Khandu at the Civil Secretariat in Itanagar, where implementation of the Vibrant Village Programme in the border areas with a focus on economic integration of forward areas, last-mile tourism development and investment opportunities in scenic and strategic regions were discussed, among others.

Khandu said: “The army is no longer just guarding our borders, it has become a key partner in Arunachal Pradesh’s development. Their efforts are visible in tourism projects across the state, in improving connectivity, and in creating economic opportunities in forward areas...”