Why in News
PIB published a Backgrounder on the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) on 6 September 2026, setting out the scheme’s design and its border development record.
What it is
- Core idea: The Vibrant Villages Programme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the comprehensive development of villages along India’s land borders. It reframes the border village as the first village of India rather than the last.
- Implementing ministry: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) runs the programme.
- Phase I coverage: The first phase covered villages in 46 border blocks across 19 districts in four States and one Union Territory along the northern border with China.
- Phase II scale: The second phase, Vibrant Villages Programme II (VVP II), carries an outlay of ₹6,839 crore. It covers 1,954 villages across 334 blocks in 17 States and Union Territories. It extends the model to international land borders beyond the northern frontier.
Context
- Rationale: Border villages face out migration, weak roads and thin connectivity. The scheme saturates them with roads, telecom, housing, drinking water and livelihood support. Reverse migration and local perception management carry a direct security value.
- Delivery mode: Development happens through District administrations and Gram Panchayats. Convergence with existing central and state schemes funds the works.
- Distinct from BADP: The older Border Area Development Programme (BADP) funds infrastructure in border blocks generally. VVP targets identified border villages for saturation and reverse migration.
[2026] Which of the following statements with respect to the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) is/are correct?
1.The period of its implementation is 1st April, 2021 to 31st March, 2026.
2.The key objective of the Revamped RGSA is to develop the governance capabilities of the Panchayati Raj Institutions to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
3.The share of the Central funding for the Revamed RGSA is 100% for all states and Union Territories.
Select the answer using the code given below:
[A] 1 and 2
[B] 2 only
[C] 1 and 3
[D] 2 and 3
