New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) To create better living conditions and assimilate the border population with the nation, the government has allocated Rs 4,800 crore from FY 2022-23 to 2025-26 for villages in 19 northern border districts, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written reply, said the allocation has been made under Vibrant Villages Programme-I (VVP-I) for villages in 46 blocks abutting northern border in 19 districts in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Ladakh.

The project also aims to ensure prosperous and safe borders, control trans-border crime and generate adequate livelihood opportunities, he said.

For villages other than those on the Northern border and already covered under VVP-I, another Central Sector Scheme – Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II) – with a total outlay of Rs 6,839 crore for the FY 2025-26 to 2028-29 has been approved, he said.

This scheme is for comprehensive development of select villages located in blocks abutting international land borders (ILBs), other than the Northern border already covered under VVP-I, in the States/UTs of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, J&K (UT), Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

MoS Rai also highlighted the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), to meet the special developmental needs and well-being of people living in border areas (scheme in sunset stage).

The budgetary allocation for BADP during the last 10 years is Rs 6,634.24 crore, he said in response to a question by BJP MP Anil Baluni.

Focusing on imparting training to the citizens in these areas about natural disasters, Union Minister Rai said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been actively involved in strengthening disaster resilience at the grassroots level by conducting Community Awareness Programmes across both urban and rural regions.

These programmes are designed to educate, sensitise and empower local communities, particularly those residing in disaster-prone or vulnerable areas, to respond effectively during emergencies and minimise loss of life and property, said Rai.

Over the past five years, the NDRF has conducted 5,451 Community Awareness Programmes in border states, benefitting 7.68 lakh people, he said.

–IANS

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