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Treats border villages as ‘‘FIRST VILLAGES OF INDIA’’ instead of “LAST VILLAGES”. Vibrant Village Programme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at developing border villages in strategic areas. The scheme focuses on improving road connectivity, housing, tourism and livelihood opportunities in remote border regions. It was launched in February 2026, implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The outlay of the scheme is Rs. 6839 crore. It aims to cover 1954 border villages across 15 states and 2 UTs. The Duration is upto FY 2028-29.
Kathua district is located in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and shares part of the International Border with Pakistan. International border areas are different from Line of Control and are managed with stronger civilian settlement support. Often called the “Gateway of Jammu and Kashmir” because it lies at the southern entrance of the UT. Includes important tehsils such as Billawar, Hiranagar, Basohli and Bani.
Kathua`s Inclusion in VVP-II : In Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, six border villages have been included under the programme due to their strategic location near the international border: Bobiya, Kadyala, Gajnal, Karol Krishna, Rathua, Gujjar Chak. VVP-II enhances infrastructure in remote border villages, boosts economic development and employment in rural border areas, strengthens border security by supporting stable local populations, reinforces Kathua`s strategic role as key border district of Jammu region.
States and Union Territories covered under Vibrant Village Programme II are: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh. VVP II covers 15 states and 2 Union Territories in total. Besides Kathua; Jammu, Samba, Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora have been also included under this programme. These districts together include 124 strategic border villages selected under the programme in J&K. Covers 1954 strategic villages in 15 states and 2 Union Territories.
Focus Areas: All weather roads, better transport connectivity, electricity and 24 into 7 power supply, Mobile 4G connectivity, television and digital access, healthcare services, education facilities, drinking water and sanitation, tourism promotion, local entrepreneurship, skill development and employment generation. This step will act very positively for the people of Kathua, By improving infrastructure, connectivity, public services, and livelihood opportunities, the programme is expected to raise the standard of living of local residents, reduce migration and strengthen national security.
The writer can be contacted at shrutikadabur1@gmail.com