New Delhi, February 20 Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch the second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) on Friday, which will cover 1,954 border villages in 15 states and two Union territories.
Designed to ensure comprehensive and sustainable development of border villages, the VVP-II will be a centrally-funded scheme with an outlay of ₹6,839 crore up to the financial year 2028-29, a government statement issued on Thursday said.
Shah will launch the programme from Nathanpur in Cachar, Assam.
"Tomorrow, I will launch the Vibrant Village Programme-II (VVP-2) in Assam. VVP realized Modi Ji's vision for the development of the first villages of India," he said in a post on X on Thursday.
He said that VVP provided all the facilities available in other parts of the country to the border villages.
"It checked migration from border villages, made them thriving centres of habitation, and bolstered border security significantly. VVP-II will further strengthen borders by extending these benefits to a wider range of villages," the home minister said.
The programme focuses on improving essential infrastructure, enhancing access to basic services, and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities, thereby fostering secure, resilient, and prosperous border communities in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, the statement said.
The VVP programme was sanctioned by the central government on February 15, 2023, covering 662 select villages in 46 blocks abutting the northern border in 19 districts in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Ladakh.
Under the VVP-I, 2,558 projects/works with an outlay of ₹3,431 crore have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and over 8,500 activities, including awareness drives, health and veterinary camps, fairs and festivals, and promotion of tourism, have been undertaken.
On April 2, 2025, the government gave its nod to the second phase, identifying 1,954 villages abutting international land borders of 15 states and two Union territories for comprehensive development, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had said in Lok Sabha on February 3.
"By strengthening these villages, the programme also enables residents to act as the eyes and ears of the nation, thereby contributing significantly to border security, the prevention of cross-border crimes, and the strengthening of internal security," the statement said.
