Even while the Hon’ble Finance Minister informed the nation of the projection of more than 50 per cent of our population living in urban areas by 2047, our villages will remain a key representation of India and will continue to support India’s critical sector, agriculture. While the face of the villages of India has changed in the past decade, the hon’ble finance minister noted that the villages on the borders of India have not enjoyed the same level of development. These villages are often affected by security concerns and remain largely unconnected from the rest of the country. 

This lack of development implies a huge economic cost in terms of loss of human capital from these villages and lack of output generation as compared to other regions of the country. Keeping this in mind, the New Vibrant Villages Program has been announced for infrastructure development in these villages that will not just connect them to other parts of the country but will also lead to better housing, livelihood opportunities, and will encourage tourism. Further, this program will complement and will be complemented by the laying out of optical fiber in villages which will achieve 100 percent completion as early as 2025.