Leverage VVP to transform lives, livelihoods in border villages: Chief Secy

Srinagar, May 22: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo Thursday held a detailed meeting of the concerned to take the assessment of the preparedness of the administration for implementation of the centrally sponsored Vibrant Villages Programme Phase-II here in the identified border villages of the UT.
The meeting besides Secretary, PD&MD was attended by the concerned Deputy Commissioners and other concerned officers of the Department.
The programme, spearheaded by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, aims to bring sustainable development, security integration, and socio-economic vibrancy to strategically significant border villages across India, including 124 villages in J&K.
In his remarks the Chief Secretary impressed upon the Planning Department to leverage this programme for transforming the lives and livelihoods of these border inhabitants in line with the vision of the Prime Minister of the country. He maintained that the belief of the PM is to treat these border villages as ‘Pratham Gaon’ meaning the frontline villages of the country deserving all attention and focus of the government for their development and sustainability.
Dulloo also called for laying focus on the implementation of the programme by designating the Village wise nodal officers especially the SDMs of these areas for their smooth and effective implementation on ground. He called on them to assess the capacity of each village and utilize the schemes like HADP, Mission YUVA, Daksh Kisan, JKRLM etc to make these villages a model in agriculture, horticulture, skilling, tourism as per their innate strengths.
The Chief Secretary also directed the concerned Deputy Commissioners to take immediate actions to complete service and infrastructure gap analyses in close coordination with BGFs. He also emphasised upon expediting formation of District and UT-level committees for submitting the first batch of Village Action Plans to MHA within stipulated timeframe.
He further stressed the importance of community engagement, inter-agency convergence, and the role of youth and local institutions in making this programme a success.
The Secretary, PD&MD, Talat Parvez Rohella while throwing light on different aspects of this programme gave out that a total of 124 border villages across 43 border blocks in eight districts of J&K including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara have been selected for development. Additionally, four more vulnerable villages in Poonch district have been recommended for inclusion due to displacements from cross-border shelling.
He further elaborated that the key objectives and outcomes of this programme encompasses bringing the cultural vibrancy in these villages along with supporting the inhabitants to better their lives and livelihoods through infrastructure upgradation and livelihood generation across these villages.
It was also made out that VVP-II aims at promoting cultural integration and foster a sense of belonging through community-led development and is 100% centrally funded to be implemented over the next five years (2024–29) in convergence mode.
The Prime components, as defined in the meeting, constitutes infrastructure development by leveraging PMGSY-IV for all-weather roads, Digital Bharat Nidhi for telecom expansion, RDSS for rural electrification, and BIND Scheme to ensure TV and media access
With respect to livelihood and economic growthSHG-based value chain development, cooperatives, and rural tourism is focussed upon. In addition to that support for eco-agriculture, organic farming, and craft-based industries, skill development initiatives for youth and women to establish the eco-resorts, rural homestays, and cultural hubs there.
In order to bring in cultural and social vibrancy in these villages festivals, sports events, and national celebrations are to be regularly organised to revitalize community spirit, promote local heritage, tribal art, and traditional knowledge systems prevalent in these villages.
As far as the monitoring mechanism for this programme is concerned at the District Level Committees (DLCs) headed by Deputy Commissioners had been tasked to vet village eligibility, conduct gap analyses, and prepare Village Action Plans (VVAPs) in coordination with BGFs.
The same needs to be approved by the UT-Level Screening Committee (UTLSC) chaired by the Chief Secretary for strategic alignment and cost-effectiveness, and recommend viable projects to the Ministry of Home Affairs for their approval and funding for implementation.
It was concluded that VVP-II is going to transform these border habitations into vibrant, self-sustaining, and secure ecosystems — aligned with the Government of India’s broader vision for inclusive and strategic border development in the whole of the country.