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The government is likely to spend over ₹2 crore on each kilometre of road to be constructed along the China border in Uttarakhand and Sikkim under the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP), according to the project’s details.
In the past five months, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned 113 roads under the VVP in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim to improve connectivity in areas along the China border.
While 105 roads have been sanctioned in Arunachal Pradesh, five roads in Uttarakhand, and three roads in Sikkim have also been approved.
Vibrant Village Programme
It is a Centrally sponsored scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 (to 2025-26) for development of villages on the northern border, thus improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages.
It will cover the border areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh.
It will cover 2,963 villages with 663 of them to be covered in the first phase.
Vibrant Village Action Plans will be created by the district adminstration with the help of Gram Panchayats.
There will not be overlap with Border Area Development Programme.
Objective:
The scheme aids to identify and develop the economic drivers based on local, natural, human and other resources of the border villages on the northern border;
Development of growth centres on ‘hub and spoke model’ through promotion of social entrepreneurship, empowerment of youth and women through skill development and entrepreneurship;
Leveraging the tourism potential through promotion of local, cultural, traditional knowledge and heritage;
Development of sustainable eco-agri businesses on the concept of ‘one village-one product’ through community-based organisations, cooperatives, NGOs.
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