Itanagar, Sep 6: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), under the Ministry of Defence, launched an outreach exchange programme to engage with civil society and members through ‘Project Brahmank’ at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Siang District on Saturday.
Defence spokesman Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said that the week-long Outreach Exchange Programme aimed to foster structured engagement between BRO personnel and the local civil administration, academia, and youth.
The programme sought to raise awareness about the mission and contributions of BRO over the decades, while also encouraging young, capable, and motivated individuals to consider a meaningful career with the organisation.
At the same time, BRO personnel benefited by gaining valuable insights from academic institutions through interactive exchanges, the spokesman said.
Under the unique exchange model, BRO teams comprising officers, JCOs, engineers, supervisors, clerical staff, and pioneers visited prominent institutions, including Arunachal Pradesh University, Apex University, and Rashtra Raksha University.
In turn, faculty members, administrative officials, PhD scholars and postgraduate students from these institutes visited Project Brahmank headquarters, where they were given presentations, briefings, movie screenings and demonstrations of engineering equipment to better understand BRO’s functioning.
The outreach programme, Lt Col Rawat said, witnessed enthusiastic participation, with around 120 BRO personnel engaging in visits to universities, and 75–80 faculty members and students taking part in interactive sessions at Project Brahmank.
The events at the academic institutes were attended by Vice-Chancellors and Principals, while at Project Brahmank, the visiting teams were hosted by Col Ashish Raisinghani, Officiating Chief Engineer, Project Brahmank.
The initiative received strong support from Sonalika Jiwani, Deputy Commissioner, who encouraged universities and institutes in the region to actively participate. Coordinated efforts between Project Brahmank and local educational leaders ensured maximum benefit from the programme for both sides.
Speaking on the occasion, Col Raisinghani highlighted the pivotal role of Project Brahmank in connecting remote and strategic areas of Arunachal Pradesh, thereby contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of the region.
He added that in addition to its core infrastructure responsibilities, BRO remains committed to welfare-oriented activities such as medical camps, cleanliness drives, skill development and motivational programmes.
He further stated, “We believe that such collaborative efforts will not only strengthen the connection between BRO and local communities but will also open new avenues of opportunity for the youth of the Siang districts.” “We look forward to continued support and a fruitful partnership with the civil administration in this meaningful endeavour,” Col Raisinghani added.
IANS