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 preservat...