Vibrant villages part-2 okayed; Outlay Rs 6,839 crore

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved vibrant villages programme II (VVP II) focusing on areas along Bangladesh and Myanmar borders. According to officials, the recent turmoil in these two neighbouring countries has led to an influx of outsiders into the northeastern states, a major concern for security agencies.

With a total outlay of ₹6,839 crore, the plan aims 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 the eyes and ears of the border guarding forces", crucial for internal security, stated a press communication.

The programme will cover villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, J&K, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, UP and West Bengal. VVP I, meant for villages along the Line of Actual Control with China, was started in 2023 and so far ₹2,400 crore has been spent on constructing 113 roads and eight low-suspension bridges, and by June 2025, 4G connectivity will be available in 362 villages.

The programme will provide funds for infrastructure development within the village or a cluster of villages, value chain development through cooperatives, self-help groups, border specific outreach activity, education infrastructure like SMART classes, development of tourism circuits and projects to create diverse and sustainable livelihood opportunities in the border areas.

All-weather road connectivity shall be undertaken under the already approved PMGSY-IV under MoRD. The statement noted that a high-power committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary shall consider suitable relaxations in schematic guidelines for effective implementation of the schemes in the border areas.