PM brought border villages closer to heart, says Amit Shah
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the distance between India’s border villages and Delhi may be long, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought the hearts closer through the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP).
Interacting with heads of some of the villages located along the international borders, Shah said a developed India cannot be created unless border villages, which are considered the first villages of the country, are developed.
The distance between India’s border villages and Delhi may be large, but Prime Minister Modi has brought the hearts closer through the Vibrant Village Programme, he said.
As many as 3,000 villages in 19 border areas in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh are being covered under the VVP and this programme will be completed in 10 years.
The objective of the programme is comprehensive development of these villages to improve the quality of life of people and thereby reversing outmigration.
The programme envisages focused areas of interventions for creation of opportunities for livelihood generation through promotion of agriculture, horticulture, tourism and cultural heritage.
Shah said Prime Minister Modi believes that a border village is not the last but the first village of the country.
He said earlier there used to be migration from these border villages due to lack of basic amenities, but PM Modi has made efforts to bring down migration through the VVP by providing basic facilities to the local people.
He said in the first phase of the scheme, 662 villages are being covered with a total population of 1,42,000 and the government is spending Rs 4,800 crore on it.
The home minister said the VVP has three objectives - overall development of the country’s first village in a phased manner, stopping migration from border villages and preserving local culture and improving all kinds of connectivity, basic facilities and development of infrastructure in the villages.
He said roads are being constructed in these areas at an outlay of Rs 2,500 crore, which will boost connectivity for the people.
He said compared to the amount spent on the development of infrastructure of these villages in the 70 years of independence, the Modi government has spent more than double the amount on the development of these villages in the last five years alone.
Shah said under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, 100 per cent saturation of more than 220 government schemes for rural development is being ensured in the villages covered under the VVP.
The Panchs, Sarpanchs and accompanying people of vibrant villages are visiting New Delhi on the occasion of Republic Day as guests of the Prime Minister and he has taken full care of them.
