Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Arunachal Pradesh on April 10-11. On first day of his visit, he will launch the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ at Kibithoo, a border village in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh on April 10.

The centre has approved the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ (VVP) with central components of Rs 4,800 crore, including Rs 2,500 crore exclusively for road connectivity for the Financial Years 2022-23 to 2025-26.

The VVP is a centrally sponsored scheme under which 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts abutting the northern border in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and UT of Ladakh have been identified for comprehensive development. In the first phase, 662 villages have been identified for priority on coverage, which includes 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh.

The programme will help in improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages and encourage people to stay in their native locations thereby reversing the outmigration from these villages and adding to security of the border. District Administration with the help of appropriate mechanisms at block and panchayat level will prepare Action Plans for identified villages to ensure 100% saturation of central and state schemes.

The focus areas of interventions identified for development of villages include road connectivity, drinking water, electricity including solar and wind energy, mobile and internet connectivity, tourist centers, multi-purpose centers and healthcare infrastructure and wellness centers.

Shah will inaugurate nine Micro Hydel Projects of the Arunachal Pradesh government constructed under the “Golden Jubilee Border Illumination Programme” in Kibithoo, on April 10, 2023. These electricity projects will empower people living in border villages. He will also inaugurate Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) projects to augment infrastructure at Likabali (Arunachal Pradesh), Chapra (Bihar), Nooranad (Kerala) and Vishakapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).

The Union Home Minister will also interact with ITBP personnel at Kibithoo. An exhibition of the products made by women members of Self-Help Groups of border districts will also be organized. Amit Shah will visit exhibition stalls to acquaint with and appreciate the efforts of women of border villages. On April 11 Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation will visit Namti field and pay homage at the Walong War Memorial.

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