Union Minister Anurag Thakur speaks to the media in Delhi. PTI
New Delhi, February 15
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 4,800 crore allocation for the “Vibrant Villages Programme”, a centrally sponsored scheme, to ensure the comprehensive development of villages along China.
The financial allocation for 2022-23 to 2025-26 was approved at a meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and will include Rs 2,500 crore for the development of road infrastructure, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur told the media.
The Central government had announced the programme last year.
The scheme, Thakur said, would provide funds for the development of essential infrastructure and the creation of livelihood opportunities in 19 districts and 46 border blocks in four states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh along the northern land border of the country.
In the first phase, 663 villages will be taken up under the programme, he noted.
Thakur said the comprehensive development of villages along the northern border would improve the quality of life of people living there and help in encouraging them to stay in their native locations in these areas, thereby reversing the out-migration and adding to improved security of the border. — TNS
Cabinet nod for pact with SA
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of an MoU between India and South Africa for cooperation in the disability sector. The government said the MoU would encourage cooperation between the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India, and South Africa through initiatives.