Cabinet Clears Rs 68.39 Bn Vibrant Villages Programme-II

07 Apr 2025 CW Team

The programme is designed to improve living standards and generate livelihood opportunities in remote and strategic border areas, while also aiming to curb trans-border crime and foster national integration by involving border populations as the "eyes and ears" of the security forces. It includes provisions for infrastructure development such as all-weather roads, telecom and television connectivity, electrification, SMART classrooms, tourism circuit development, and projects that diversify and sustain livelihoods. These interventions will be implemented based on border-specific and village-specific Village Action Plans, created through a collaborative and inclusive process.

The scheme also emphasises cultural vibrancy through activities such as fairs, festivals, awareness campaigns, and celebration of national days. Visits by ministers and senior government officials, including overnight stays in these villages, are planned to reinforce a sense of inclusion. Implementation will leverage technology and platforms such as PM Gati Shakti for efficient execution. To ensure effective delivery, a High-Powered Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary may grant suitable relaxations in existing schematic guidelines for border areas. The programme aims to achieve saturation in key thematic areas—all-weather roads, telecom, television, and electrification—through convergence with other government schemes. Together with VVP-I, this initiative is a transformative step to make border villages self-reliant, secure, and culturally vibrant, contributing meaningfully to India’s long-term developmental goals.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II) for the financial years 2024–25 to 2028–29, with a total outlay of Rs 68.39 billion. This Central Sector Scheme, with 100% funding from the Centre, aims to further the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 by ensuring safe, secure, and vibrant international land borders. VVP-II will focus on the comprehensive development of border villages located along India’s international land borders—excluding the northern borders already covered under VVP-I—across 17 States and Union Territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The programme is designed to improve living standards and generate livelihood opportunities in remote and strategic border areas, while also aiming to curb trans-border crime and foster national integration by involving border populations as the eyes and ears of the security forces. It includes provisions for infrastructure development such as all-weather roads, telecom and television connectivity, electrification, SMART classrooms, tourism circuit development, and projects that diversify and sustain livelihoods. These interventions will be implemented based on border-specific and village-specific Village Action Plans, created through a collaborative and inclusive process. The scheme also emphasises cultural vibrancy through activities such as fairs, festivals, awareness campaigns, and celebration of national days. Visits by ministers and senior government officials, including overnight stays in these villages, are planned to reinforce a sense of inclusion. Implementation will leverage technology and platforms such as PM Gati Shakti for efficient execution. To ensure effective delivery, a High-Powered Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary may grant suitable relaxations in existing schematic guidelines for border areas. The programme aims to achieve saturation in key thematic areas—all-weather roads, telecom, television, and electrification—through convergence with other government schemes. Together with VVP-I, this initiative is a transformative step to make border villages self-reliant, secure, and culturally vibrant, contributing meaningfully to India’s long-term developmental goals.

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