- Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation inaugurated a two-day workshop on the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) in New Delhi, organized by the Border Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The initiative seeks to transform border villages into hubs of development, thereby strengthening border security and improving the lives of local communities.
About Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP-I):
- Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme (shared Centre–State funding).
- Duration: Implemented during 2022-23 to 2025-26.
- Coverage: 2,967 villages across 46 blocks in 19 districts along India’s northern border in:
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Himachal Pradesh
- Sikkim
- Uttarakhand
- Ladakh (UT)
Objectives:
- Comprehensive development of border villages.
- Prevent outmigration by creating livelihood opportunities and enhancing quality of life.
- Strengthen border security by ensuring sustained population in frontier areas.
Focus Areas:
- Road connectivity, housing, renewable energy, telecom and TV connectivity.
- Tourism, cultural heritage, and skill development.
- Cooperative societies in agriculture, horticulture, and medicinal plants.
- Implementation: Vibrant Village Action Plans will be prepared by district administrations with Gram Panchayats ensuring 100% coverage of Central and State schemes.
Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II)
- Type: Central Sector Scheme (100% Centre-funded).
- Approval: Union Cabinet approved in April 2025.
- Outlay: ₹6,839 crore.
Timeline: Till FY 2028-29.
- Coverage: Strategic villages in states/UTs abutting international land borders (ILBs) other than the northern border already covered under VVP-I.
- States/UTs Covered: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir (UT), Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
- Vision: Supports the goal of Viksit Bharat@2047 by building Safe, Secured & Vibrant Land Borders.
Significance of VVP:
- Both VVP-I and VVP-II are transformative initiatives aimed at making India’s border villages self-reliant, economically vibrant, and strategically strong.
- By combining infrastructure, livelihood generation, and saturation of welfare schemes, the programmes align with India’s long-term vision of secure and developed frontiers.