No impact study yet, but villagers returning to Arunachal border areas: Centre

People have begun moving back to villages in some border districts of Arunachal Pradesh under the Vibrant Villages Programme, even though the Centre has not carried out any formal assessment of the scheme’s impact on reverse migration or related outcomes.

The information was shared with the Lok Sabha on February 3 in a written reply by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai. He said the Union government had not undertaken any impact assessment of the programme so far, but the state government had reported early signs of return migration.

“No impact assessment has been carried out. However, the Arunachal Pradesh government has informed that people are returning to villages in the border districts of Kurung Kumey, Dibang Valley and Shi-Yomi,” Rai said.

The response came to a question from BJP MP Baijayant Panda, who asked whether the government had evaluated how the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) has influenced reverse migration, women’s entrepreneurship and youth-led rural innovation in border regions.

Rai said Vibrant Villages Programme-I was approved in February 2023 as a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at the “comprehensive development of select villages” along the northern border. The programme covers 46 blocks in 19 districts across Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and the Union territory of Ladakh.

“Initially, 662 villages were identified for comprehensive development on priority under VVP-I,” he said.

The initiative was expanded with the approval of Vibrant Villages Programme-II in April 2025. The second phase extends coverage to border blocks along international land borders in 15 states and two Union territories outside the northern border region. “Under VVP-II, 1,954 villages have been identified for comprehensive development,” the minister said.

On implementation, Rai told the House that 2,558 projects and works, with a total outlay of Rs 3,431 crore, have been sanctioned under VVP-I. This includes projects taken up through convergence with other central ministries and departments.

He added that more than 8,500 activities have been carried out so far, ranging from awareness drives and service delivery camps to training and capacity-building programmes, health and veterinary camps, fairs and festivals, and the promotion of tourism activities in the covered states and Union territories.

The stated objective of the scheme is to create sufficient incentives for people to remain in, or return to, the selected border villages.