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The Central Government has approved the Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II) as a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs 6,839 crore till the financial year 2028-29 for the comprehensive development of 1,954 select villages located along India's international land borders.
This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, VVP-II was approved on April 2, 2025, and covers 1,954 villages in 334 blocks across 17 States and Union Territories. The programme covers villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The initiative aims to address the unique and specific challenges faced by border villages through area-specific strategies and promote their comprehensive development. The government had earlier approved Vibrant Villages Programme-I (VVP-I) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on February 15, 2023, for the comprehensive development of select villages in 46 blocks along the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand. Under VVP-I, 2,906 projects have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs and through convergence with various Central Ministries and Departments. As part of the programme, Rs 959.66 crore has been released to the States and Union Territories concerned so far, the ministry said. The Centre has also approved the constitution of a High-Powered Committee (HPC) headed by the Cabinet Secretary to facilitate effective implementation of VVP-II in border villages. The committee includes the Home Secretary, Secretary (Border Management), Secretary (Expenditure) and the Secretary of the concerned Ministry or Department as members. The HPC will undertake relaxations in the schematic guidelines of schemes of various ministries to facilitate their effective implementation in border villages under VVP-II. (ANI)
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