Vibrant Villages Programme:Border villages have endured much for this nation: LG Sinha

• By RK News
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• 18 Apr 2026

‘Now they must rank among most prosperous’

Rajouri, Apr 17: "Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India advances with renewed resolve. Border areas are no longer the nation's edge but its first village and foremost opportunity. New commitment thrives, and connection with the mainstream has taken root," Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Friday.

Addressing a public gathering during his visit to the vibrant village of Sariah in Rajouri, the LG said a nation is defined by its remotest village, where borders begin and India's identity shines before the world. 

During his visit, the Lieutenant Governor inaugurated the Common Service Centre and initiated several development projects, including water conservation works under JSJB 2.0 and the development of playgrounds in vibrant villages Sariah, Pukharni, Bhawani, Chapardhara, and Namban. He also paid tributes to Brig. Mohammad Usman.

Sinha said that through the Border Area Development Programme under the Vibrant Villages Programme, infrastructure and welfare schemes are reaching every border village. "No map fully captures the true essence of our border villages, which reveal only lines. Within those lines, I see a vibrant society and steadfast families advancing the nation's progress," he said.

He further said that national security flows from soldiers at the borders and border village residents who dwell there. "A road reaching a border village builds not just passage but unshakeable confidence in our defense. Electricity lighting a border village home offers not mere illumination but fresh hope. Employment for a border village youth transforms not only one life but the trajectory of an entire community. My vision is clear that border village development is integral to national security, and every border village must rank among our nation's most prosperous," he said.

The Lieutenant Governor said that since assuming responsibility for Jammu and Kashmir in August 2020, he had prioritized border villages' aspirations. "In border villages where women rise each dawn dreaming of brighter futures for their children amid challenges, where farmers toil in their soil through hardships, and where communities stand as sentinels without uniforms, we have ignited a new dawn of progress," he said.

He called upon officers to achieve 100 percent saturation of HADP, Mission Youth, Mudra Yojana, and all welfare schemes, leaving no eligible citizen behind. "Our commitment has transformed lives, and I affirm with confidence that change is tangible in Jammu and Kashmir's border villages, where roads now weave networks, healthcare is thriving, digital connectivity is transforming the education sector, and residents now feel integrated to India's rapid growth," he said.

The Lieutenant Governor emphasized that true development means equal opportunity, dignity, and instilled confidence, and the Vibrant Villages Programme embodies this through holistic advancement of employment, education, infrastructure, and digital empowerment. "It is our moral duty to secure every citizen's brighter future. Sariah's border village residents have guarded our borders alongside soldiers; we owe them comprehensive progress, leaving none behind. Border village residents have endured much for this nation; now, they must stand at prosperity's core. A developed India demands a strong rural heartland, incomplete without its first villages," he added.

On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor visited the exhibition on Gyan Bharatam, launched the Vibrant Village Anthem, and handed over sanction letters and appointment letters to various beneficiaries under Mission Yuva, HADP, PM Mudra, PMAY-G, and other schemes. He also distributed TV sets with DTH, and felicitated a TB Cured Warrior, Nasha Mukt Abhiyaan volunteers, and citizens for their valuable contributions to society.

The event was attended by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, DGP Nalin Prabhat, Additional Chief Secretaries Shaleen Kabra and Ashwani Kumar, Commissioner Secretary Planning and Information R. Alice Vaz, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, IGP Jammu Bhim Sen Tuti, J&K Bank MD & CEO Amitava Chatterjee, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Abhishek Sharma, senior officials of the army, police, and civil administration, political leaders, prominent citizens, and a large number of people.