From zero allocation to a Rs 1,050 crore budget, ‘Vibrant Villages’ will have a special focus as the government aims to develop border villages in sensitive areas.

In the last budget, the Centre had not allocated any fund for the Vibrant Village programme but this year the provision of Rs 1,050 crore has been made for comprehensive development in a phased manner of selected border villages, which include infrastructure development, road connectivity and other work.

The Vibrant Village programme is a reply to China who is rampant at expanding infrastructure at border areas including establishment of military villages close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Border villages in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim play an important role in India’s security which will be the focus of the government.

With this project, the government will boost infrastructure in border areas which will be a great help in case of escalation by adversary.

Under the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ scheme, 136 border villages are being provided connectivity through 113 all-weather road projects at a cost of Rs 2,420 crore. 4G network will cover all villages under the Vibrant Village Programme by December 2024. Appropriate steps are being taken to ensure financial inclusion in all these villages. Home minister Amit Shah stressed the need to provide employment opportunities to local residents and increase connectivity with villages to prevent migration from these border villages.

He has asked the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Army deployed around the border villages to encourage purchase of local agricultural and handicraft products through cooperatives. He said the healthcare facilities of the Army and CAPFs should be regularly made available to benefit the residents of nearby villages. He also mentioned to make maximum use of the solar energy and other renewable sources of energy like windmills.

Work is being done to develop tourist circuits to bring vibrancy to these villages and promote tourism. In this endeavour, capacity building and tourism related infrastructure is being developed in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism.

This month, Amit Shah had chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the Vibrant Village programme.