Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP)

Context:

• Recently, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation inaugurated a two-day workshop on VVP in New Delhi.

• The event was organized by the Border Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Type:
Centrally Sponsored Scheme (implemented from 2022-23 to 2025-26)

Objective:

• Comprehensive development of 2,967 villages in 46 blocks across 19 districts along the northern border.

• Focus states/UT: Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh.

• Encourage residents to stay in their native border villages and reverse outmigration.

• Improve border security by strengthening the socio-economic fabric of these areas.

Key Focus Areas:

• Infrastructure Development:

  • Road connectivity to previously unconnected villages

  • Housing and village infrastructure

  • Energy access, including renewable energy solutions

  • TV and telecom connectivity

• Livelihood Generation:

  • Promotion of tourism and cultural heritage

  • Skill development and entrepreneurship

  • Development of cooperative societies

  • Agriculture/horticulture support and cultivation of medicinal plants/herbs

Implementation Approach:

• Vibrant Village Action Plans prepared by district administrations with Gram Panchayat support.

• Ensures 100% saturation of central and state schemes in target villages.

• No overlap with the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) to avoid redundancy.

Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II)

• Type: Central Sector Scheme (100% funded by the Centre)

• Approved: April 2025 by the Union Cabinet

• Total Outlay: ₹6,839 crore

• Vision: Part of the broader vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 aiming for ‘Safe, Secured & Vibrant land borders’

Coverage:

• Focuses on strategic villages located in blocks abutting international land borders (ILBs) other than the northern border already covered under VVP-I.

• States/UTs included:
  Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir (UT), Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

• Timeline: To be implemented till FY 2028-29.

Objectives:

• Comprehensive development of border villages beyond the northern border.

• Make border villages self-reliant and vibrant.

• Continuation and expansion of the transformational goals of VVP-I.

Both VVP-I and VVP-II together aim to strengthen India’s border areas through infrastructure, livelihood opportunities, and enhanced security, supporting the vision of a developed and secure India by 2047.