J&K, Ladakh villages to act as ‘eyes & ears’

New Delhi, Apr 4: In a move aimed at bolstering infrastructure and livelihoods along international land borders, the union cabinet Friday approved the Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II), a centrally funded initiative with an outlay of Rs 6839 crore to be implemented from 2024-25 to 2028-29.

The scheme targets strategic villages along the country’s borders, excluding the northern front already covered under VVP-I and spans states and union territories including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and others.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the programme underscores the government’s commitment to building “safe, secured and vibrant land borders” as part of its vision for Viksit Bharat@2047.

“VVP-II will help create better living conditions and adequate livelihood opportunities in border villages to ensure prosperous and safe borders,” the ministry said in a statement.

The initiative also aims to curb trans-border crime and foster national integration by encouraging local communities to act as “eyes and ears of the border guarding forces,” playing a key role in internal security.

Under VVP-II, funds will be allocated for infrastructure development within individual or cluster villages. Projects will include the creation of SMART classrooms, rural tourism circuits, cooperative-led value chains, and livelihood schemes tailored to local needs.

“These interventions will be village-specific and border-specific, driven by locally prepared Village Action Plans through a collaborative approach,” the statement said.

The programme will work in tandem with other central schemes to ensure “saturation” in essential services across four focus areas: all-weather road connectivity, telecom access, television coverage and electrification.

Road works, for instance, will be undertaken under the already approved PMGSY-IV programme managed by the Ministry of Rural Development.

To facilitate smoother execution in remote and challenging terrains, a High-Powered Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary will consider relaxations in implementation guidelines.

Beyond infrastructure, the programme also places emphasis on cultural vibrancy and national integration, proposing community-level events such as fairs, awareness drives, and visits by ministers and senior officials.

“Such activities will not only help assimilate remote villages into the national mainstream but also boost tourism and celebrate the cultural richness of our border regions,” the ministry said.

The initiative plans to leverage platforms like PM Gati Shakti to coordinate planning and implementation across agencies using geospatial and infrastructure databases.

Together with its predecessor VVP-I, the second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme is envisioned as a “transformative step to make border villages self-reliant and vibrant.”