Context

Centre’s ambitious Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) which aims to develop infrastructure and open up villages to tourists along the China border will be integrated with the Prime Minister Gati Shakti mega project.

What is ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’?

• The Vibrant Village Program aims to-
  • raise the standard of living of the residents in the border communities
  • encouraging them residents to remain there, reversing migration from villages
  • enhancing border security
• Focus area: As per the programme, the focus areas would be improving road connectivity, providing drinking water, electricity, mobile and internet connectivity, building tourist centres, multi-purpose centres, healthcare infrastructure, and wellness centres.
• Coverage: The programme aims to cover 2,967 villages in 46 border blocks of 19 districts in four States and one Union Territory - Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Ladakh along the China border.
  • Out of these, 662 villages will be prioritised for coverage.
• Fund allocation: The scheme has been allocated ?4,800 crore for the financial years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26. The amount allocated for road construction is ?2,500 crore.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs

Why Kibithoo is significant?

• Kibithoo, located in Arunachal Pradesh, is the first village to be part of the Centre’s Vibrant Villages programme.
• Kibithoo in Anjaw districtis in the easternmost administrative circle in India.
• Housing dozens of villages within the 10 km range of the McMohan line, the villagers are fluent in Hindi because of their regular interaction with the security forces but do not have proper connectivity with the mainland.
• Concerns:
  • Depopulationis a case of concern in the border villages in all areas of India.
  • Backwardness, illiteracy, and lack of basic facilities and infrastructure are also concerning.

India’s response to China

• The VVP is India’s response to the 628 model ‘xiaokang’ (moderately well-off) villages built by China along the LAC in China-occupied Tibet (CoT).
• China started building these villages, which have a dual civilian-military use, in 2017 and completed them in 2021 at a whopping cost of Rs 3.76 lakh crore.
• These villages are close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), opposite Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.