Nagaland is among 17 states and Union Territories included under the INR 6,839 crore Vibrant Villages Programme II.
DIMAPUR — Nagaland is among 15 states and two Union Territories identified for comprehensive development under the second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP-II), an initiative aimed at transforming border settlements into secure, prosperous, and strategic centres of growth.
The programme, implemented through VVP-I and VVP-II with a combined outlay of INR 11,639 crore, covers more than 2,616 villages along India's international land borders, according to a PIB report.
It is expanding road connectivity, electricity, telecommunications, healthcare, education, and livelihood opportunities across frontier villages to sustain thriving border communities and strengthen national security.
India shares over 15,000 kilometres of international land border with seven neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh (4,096.7 km), China (3,488 km), Pakistan (3,323 km), and Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Afghanistan. Having faced isolation, difficult terrain, limited infrastructure, and out-migration for decades, border settlements are being treated under the programme not as the nation's last villages, but as its first.
The Union Cabinet approved VVP-II on April 2, 2025. Unlike the first phase, VVP-II is a Central Sector Scheme funded entirely by the Centre and implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It was formally launched on February 20, 2026, at Nathanpur village in the Cachar district of Assam, with an outlay of INR 6,839 crore up to the financial year 2028-29.
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Under VVP-II, 1,954 villages have been identified for development across 334 blocks abutting international borders in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Blocks on the northern border already covered under VVP-I were excluded to avoid duplication. The scheme supports infrastructure, value chains through cooperatives and self-help groups, SMART classrooms, tourism circuits, road connectivity, skill development, financial inclusion, and healthcare, with a special focus on preventing and controlling trans-border crime.
The first phase, VVP-I, was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 for northern border villages and launched at Kibithoo in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh on April 10, 2023. Kibithoo was chosen for its strategic location, history from the 1962 India-China War, and development needs. Approved with an outlay of INR 4,800 crore covering financial years 2022-23 to 2026-27, VVP-I prioritised 662 strategic villages across 46 blocks in 19 districts of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh, covering a population of about 1.42 lakh. An amount of INR 2,500 crore was earmarked specifically for road connectivity.
Implementation is guided by Village Action Plans based on local needs and executed through scheme convergence, including all-weather road construction under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-IV of the Ministry of Rural Development. A High-Powered Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary may recommend relaxations in scheme guidelines. The MHA serves as the nodal ministry, coordinating with state governments, district administrations, and border guarding forces.
As of July 2026, the MHA has sanctioned 1,248 projects with an outlay of INR 3,020.32 crore under VVP-I, while a further 1,655 projects have been sanctioned by central ministries and departments under convergence. A total of INR 953.47 crore has been released to states and Union Territories, and 283 projects have been reported as completed.
Among MHA-sanctioned projects, Arunachal Pradesh received 832, Uttarakhand 152, Himachal Pradesh 98, Sikkim 87, and Ladakh 79. Sanctioned works include 111 road projects with an outlay of INR 2,481.93 crore connecting 134 villages, 35 long-span bridges, and 327 tourism projects valued at INR 145 crore. More than 8,800 outreach and service delivery activities were conducted up to July 31, 2026.
The programme succeeds the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) launched in 1986-87, which is now in its sunset phase after sanctioning over 39,000 works across 111 districts since 2004-05.