Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP)

✦Key Features

• 663 villages in 46 blocks of 5 border states/UTs: HP, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Ladakh
• Budget: ₹4,800 crore for 2022-2026; 100% central funding
• Focus: all-weather road, electricity, broadband, drinking water, health, education, livelihoods
• Border Villages as growth centres: tourism, herbal products, organic farming promoted
• Convergence with PMGSY, BharatNet, Jal Jeevan Mission
• 19 focus villages (Phase I) — strategic importance for border security
• Border Area Development Fund of states also supplementary

✓Eligibility Criteria

• States including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and the UT of Ladakh.
• Implementing agencies and government departments operating in identified border villages.
• Select border villages categorized by the Ministry of Home Affairs for prioritized development.
• Local community organizations and Panchayats within the designated border blocks.

★Benefits

• Comprehensive infrastructure development including all-weather road connectivity and housing.
• Promotion of sustainable livelihoods through local tourism, heritage, and entrepreneurship.
• Provision of essential utilities such as 24x7 electricity, clean drinking water, and telecom connectivity.
• Reduction in out-migration from border areas and strengthening of local security frameworks.

▶Application Process

• Gram Panchayats identify local developmental needs and prepare a Village Action Plan.
• District administrations review and consolidate plans before forwarding them to the State government.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs reviews and approves the comprehensive Vibrant Village Action Plan (VVAP).
• Funds are disbursed to designated agencies for the execution of infrastructure and livelihood projects.

₹ Budget Allocation

4800

Funding Ratio (Centre:State): Centrally Sponsored Scheme; ₹4,800 crore total outlay (₹2,500 crore specifically for roads)

Historical Context

Announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 to address the vulnerability of villages on the northern border (China border) that face depopulation.