VIBRANT
VILLAGES PROGRAMME - GOVERNANCE
News: China’s ‘Xiaokang’ border defence villages along the LAC, now being occupied
What's
in the news?
●
The Chinese people have started occupying
several of the country’s model ‘Xiaokang’ border defence villages, along its
border with India’s northeastern region.
Key
takeaways:
●
India intends to transform 663 border
villages into modern villages as part of the program’s first phase.
●
At least 17 such border villages along
China’s borders in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal
Pradesh have been selected for development as a pilot project.
●
Zemithang,
Taksing, Chayang Tajo, Tuting, and Kibithu are villages in Arunachal Pradesh’s
east and Tawang region.
Vibrant
Village Programme:
●
The concept of the Vibrant Villages
programme (VVP) is to improve the living
conditions for the people living close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
i.e. the borderline between China and India in the western sector of the
borderland between India’s Ladakh and China.
Objective:
●
To stop migration of border population.
●
To improve living conditions of the people
across border areas.
●
To develop state of art infrastructure in
border areas.
Coverage:
●
The programme to cover 2,967 villages in
46 border blocks of 19 districts in four
States and one Union Territory - Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,
Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Ladakh along the China border.
●
Out of these, 662 villages will be
prioritised for coverage.
Finance:
●
The scheme has been allocated ₹4,800 crore
for the financial years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
●
The amount allocated for road construction
is ₹2,500 crore.
Nodal
Ministry: Ministry
of Home Affairs
Role
of States:
●
States have been asked to organise
activities such as fairs and festivals, cultural programmes, visit of school
children, visit of senior State and district officials, tourism-related
activities, promotion of handicrafts etc., in the villages identified for
coverage on priority.
Significance:
●
The initiative intends to develop a
strategy for improving the infrastructure of the communities at LAC and
establishing road connections.
●
Upgradation of housing facilities and
prevention of migration.
●
As part of the programme, residential and
tourism centres will be created.
●
Creation of decentralized renewable energy
sources.
●
Provisions of direct access to Doordarshan
and educational channels.
●
Creation of social and economic
infrastructure, thereby supporting livelihoods of people in border areas.