India’s Vibrant Villages Plan: Home Minister Amit Shah Pushes for Reverse Migration, Jobs and Security in Border Communities

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday set out an ambitious vision for the country’s border communities by urging officials to make villages along frontiers “vibrant, secure and self-reliant” under the government’s flagship Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP).

Image Source: Home Minister Amit Shah

Speaking at a two-day workshop in New Delhi, Shah said the initiative, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb migration from sparsely populated frontier regions, was not only about development, but also about national security. 

“If villages have all facilities and employment opportunities, local residents will not wish to migrate,” Shah said, noting that strengthening the population base along borders was critical to maintaining sovereignty.

The programme, which targets villages in states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Ladakh, aims to provide 100% coverage of government schemes while promoting infrastructure, tourism, cultural preservation and cooperative-driven jobs. 

Shah emphasized that every border village should benefit from housing, education, healthcare, roads, telecommunications and clean drinking water.

Human interest remains central to the plan. Shah suggested district collectors form dairy cooperatives so local farmers can supply milk to India’s armed forces and paramilitary units stationed nearby. 

He pointed to successful pilots in Arunachal Pradesh where the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) already buys daily essentials like milk, vegetables and eggs directly from village households. 

“This model should be replicated across all Vibrant Villages,” Shah said, adding that such initiatives could reverse migration trends by generating steady employment.

Tourism was highlighted as another key driver. Shah proposed expanding homestay networks in border villages with proper state-managed booking systems, ensuring that “not a single house remains vacant.” 

He argued that the presence of visitors would both sustain livelihoods and reinforce India’s cultural and territorial claims in sensitive regions.

The Home Minister also flagged concerns about demographic changes in frontier areas, echoing Prime Minister Modi’s remarks from Independence Day. 

He urged state administrations to treat this as a matter of national security, warning against “deliberate designs” behind illegal encroachments. 

He called for the removal of unauthorized religious structures and other encroachments within a 30-kilometre radius of borders, citing Gujarat as a model for clearing such settlements along land and maritime frontiers.

According to Shah, the Vibrant Villages Programme has already shown results. In Arunachal Pradesh, he said, the population of some border settlements had begun to rise again--an early sign of “reverse migration” after decades of steady decline. 

He called this a “positive message” for other border communities, arguing that the programme could restore pride and vitality to India’s remotest settlements.

Shah stressed that the success of VVP would depend on coordination across government, with district collectors, state administrations, security forces and local communities working together. 

“This should not remain just a government programme, but must become part of the administrative spirit,” he said.

The Vibrant Villages Programme was launched in 2023 with the stated aim of turning India’s “last villages” into its “first villages”--a symbolic reframing of the country’s frontier communities as vital contributors to both local well-being and national defence.