Meghalaya has been included as one of the beneficiaries for the second phase of Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), which envisages comprehensive development of select villages located along international borders.
The union cabinet yesterday approved the programme to be implemented in the State including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, J&K (UT), Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for financial years 2024-25 to 2028-29.
The VVP with 100 per cent centre funding for ‘Safe, Secured & Vibrant land borders’, an official statement said.
The Programme would help in the comprehensive development of the villages located in the blocks abutting international land borders, other than the Northern border already covered under VVP-I.
With a total outlay of Rs.6,839 crore, the objective of the programme is to create better living conditions and adequate livelihood opportunities to ensure prosperous and safe borders, control trans-border crime and assimilate the border population with the nation and inculcate them ‘as eyes and ears of the border guarding forces’, crucial for internal security.
The programme shall provide funds for infrastructure development within the village or a cluster of villages, value chain development (through cooperatives, SHGs, etc), border specific outreach activity, education infrastructure like SMART classes, development of tourism circuits and works/projects to create diverse and sustainable livelihood opportunities in the border areas.
The interventions would be border-specific, state and village specific, based on Village Action Plans prepared in a collaborative approach.
All-weather road connectivity for these villages shall be undertaken under the already approved PMGSY-IV under the MoRD. A High-Powered Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary shall consider suitable relaxations in schematic guidelines for effective implementation of schemes in the border areas.
The programme aims to achieve saturation in existing individual and household level welfare schemes in the identified villages under convergence as per scheme norms. The programme also aims to saturate all villages in such blocks in 4 thematic areas, namely all-weather road connectivity, telecom connectivity, television connectivity and electrification through convergence under existing scheme norms.
The programme emphasizes enhancing vibrancy in these villages by organizing activities including fairs & festivals, awareness camps, celebration of National days, regular visits by Ministers, senior Government officers from Central and State/UT Government & night stays in such villages. This would boost the tourism potential and promote the local culture and heritage of these villages.
Technology would be leveraged and information databases like PM Gati Shakti shall be used for effective implementation of the project.
