New Delhi, March 24 More than 39,000 projects have been approved under the Border Area Development Programme, which is in its 'final phase', since the fiscal year 2004-05 in the bordering states and Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, said these projects include the construction of roads, schools, bridges, and culverts, residential quarters for doctors, paramedics, and other health officials, additional rooms in health centers, additional classrooms, Anganwadi centers, hostels, and dormitories in schools, and livelihood projects.
The minister said the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) is implemented in villages/towns located within 0-10 km ('straight-line' aerial distance) from the first settlement at the International Border (IB) in 16 states and two Union Territories.
"Currently, the BADP is in its final phase," Rai said.
The main objective of the program is to meet the special development needs and well-being of people living in the area, and to provide essential infrastructure related to health, education, roads, agriculture, sports, drinking water, sanitation, the social sector, small-scale industries, etc., by converging BADP and central/state/UT/local schemes.
"Since the financial year 2004-05, 39,248 works/projects have been approved under the BADP in the bordering states/UTs, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
"In the last three years, Rs 168.90 crore was released towards committed liabilities to the eligible states/UTs covered under the program," he said.
The Centre approved the Vibrant Villages Programme-I (VVP-I) on February 15, 2023, for the comprehensive development of 662 selected villages in blocks bordering the Northern border in four states and one UT, Rai said.
"The government also approved the Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II) on April 2, 2025, for the comprehensive development of 1,954 selected villages located in the blocks bordering the International Land Borders (ILBs) other than the Northern border, including the India-Pakistan border, in 15 states and two UTs until the fiscal year 2028-29," he added.