Ladakh to benefit from Vibrant Villages Prog: Nadda

Leh, Aug 14: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, and Chemicals and Fertilisers, J. P. Nadda, has announced that Ladakh is among the Union Territories included in Phase-I of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) — an ambitious government initiative aimed at transforming India’s border settlements into thriving hubs of growth.Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Nadda said these remote settlements are no longer seen as the “last villages” of India but are now celebrated as the nation’s “first villages.”Under Phase I, 662 villages have been identified across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim. The programme focuses on improving infrastructure, enhancing connectivity, and creating livelihood opportunities, enabling border communities to become secure, vibrant, and self-reliant.Nadda said coordinated efforts by multiple ministries are underway to develop roads, electricity, digital connectivity, healthcare, education, and economic avenues such as tourism, handicrafts, and agriculture. These measures are aimed at curbing migration, boosting local confidence, and strengthening the strategic and social fabric of the border belt.“The Vibrant Villages Programme will not only safeguard Ladakh’s remote settlements but also transform them into prosperous and dynamic centres of development,” the minister added.