On the eve of the Republic Day, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah interacted with the special guests from the Vibrant Villages in New Delhi today. On this occasion, many dignitaries including Minister of Earth Sciences, Shri Kiren Rijiju, Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur and Minister of State for Home Affairs and Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Nishith Pramanik were present.

While interacting with the special guests, Shri Amit Shah said that the distance between India's border villages and Delhi may be big, but Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has brought the hearts closer through the Vibrant Village programme. He said that unless the first village of the country is developed, a developed India cannot be created. Shri Shah said that, therefore, Prime Minister Modi believes that the border village is not the last but the first village of the country. He said that earlier there used to be migration from these border villages due to lack of basic amenities, but PM Modi has made efforts to bring down migration through the Vibrant Village programme by providing basic facilities to the local people.

The Union Home Minister said that 3,000 villages in 19 border areas in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh are being covered under the Vibrant Village Programme, and this programme will be completed in 10 years.He said that in the first phase of the scheme, 662 villages are being covered with a total population of 1,42,000 and the government is spending Rs 4800 crore on it.

Shri Amit Shah said that the Vibrant Village Programme has 3 objectives - overall development of the country's first village in a phased manner, stopping migration from border villages and preserving local culture and improving all kinds of connectivity, basic facilities and development of infrastructure in the villages. He said that roads are being constructed in these areas at an outlay of Rs 2500 crore, which will boost connectivity for the people. Shri Shah said that compared to the amount spent on the development of infrastructure of these villages in the 70 years of independence, the Narendra Modi government has spent more than double the amount on the development of these villages in the last 5 years alone. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, 100 percent saturation of more than 220 government schemes for rural development is being ensured in the villages covered under the Vibrant Village Programme.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the Panchs, Sarpanchs and accompanying people of Vibrant Villages, visiting New Delhi on the occasion of Republic Day, are guests of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and he has taken full care of them. Shri Shah said that the Republic Day parade is a display of India's culture, military and manpower,which the whole world watches, astoundingly.

The Panchs and Sarpanchs of Vibrant Villages along with their families will witness this year's Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path as "Special Guests" of the Government of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Defence, is hosting the special guests. To realise Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Leaving No Citizen Behind” and border villages as “the first village” of the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs, under the leadership of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, has taken significant initiatives by launching the Vibrant Villages Programme. It aims at the comprehensive development of select villages situated in the border blocks in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

Special guests from Vibrant Villages also visited the Prime Minister's Museum. On January 27, they will participate in "Bharat Parv." Along with this, special guests have also been invited to watch the "PM Rally" of NCC cadets to be held on January 27th.

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RK/ ASH/PR/ AK