Union Cabinet meeting likely to be held on 9 April
New Delhi: Officials said that on April 9, a meeting of the Union Cabinet is anticipated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the second phase of the Vibrant communities initiative, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on April 5, was extraordinary news that would guarantee a higher standard of living for the border communities.
PM Modi said on X that the government is expanding the number of villages that are included in the second phase of this initiative.
“The Cabinet’s decision on the Vibrant communities Program-II is great news since it will help our border communities live better lives. In comparison to Vibrant Villages Programme-I, we are also broadening the range of villages covered with this permission,” PM Modi wrote on X.
The flourishing Villages Programme-II was authorised by the Union Cabinet on Friday, demonstrating its continued dedication to the goal of safe, secure, and flourishing land borders.
Apart from the northern border already covered by VVP-I, the programme would aid in the overall development of the villages situated in the blocks bordering international land boundaries (ILBs).
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, J&K (UT), Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal are among the States/UTs where the programme will be implemented until 2028–2029. The total expenditure for the program is Rs 6,839 crore.
Better living conditions and sufficient employment opportunities are the programme’s goals in order to maintain prosperous and secure borders, reduce trans-border crime, integrate the border population into the country, and instil in them the value of “eyes and ears of the border guarding forces”, which is essential for internal security.
Infrastructure development in the village or group of villages, value chain development (through cooperatives, SHGs, etc.), outreach activities targeted at the border, education infrastructure such as SMART classes, the creation of tourism circuits, and projects to establish a variety of sustainable livelihood options in the border areas will all be funded by the program.
Based on Village Action Plans created in a collaborative process, the interventions would be border-, state-, and village-specific.
By planning events like fairs and festivals, awareness camps, national day celebrations, frequent visits by ministers and senior government officials from the federal, state, and local governments, and overnight stays in these villages, the initiative aims to increase the liveliness of these communities. In addition to promoting the local culture and traditions of these settlements, this would increase their tourist potential.
The initiative will be implemented effectively by using technology and information databases such as PM Gati Shakti.
