Modi Urges Youth To Connect With Border Villages
“The idea was that why not have the youth, instead of using virtual medium, step onto the ground to know India, connect with India, try to live India, and understand India,” he said
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the ‘Viksit Vibrant Village’ (VVV) programme aims to encourage youth to engage directly with border communities rather than rely on virtual interactions.
Addressing participants of the VVV programme 2026, which covered 74 villages across Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Modi said the initiative provides an opportunity for young people to understand rural India and connect with local communities.
“The idea was that why not have the youth, instead of using virtual medium, step onto the ground to know India, connect with India, try to live India, and understand India,” he said.
He said aspirations for development and a sense of patriotism were strong in border villages and noted that developed villages are key to building a developed India.
“This journey of the developed Vibrant Village is itself a medium to connect everyone, to connect with everyone,” he said, adding that youth engagement would strengthen the vision of a developed India.
Modi said the programme involved youth from different districts travelling to villages in border states. “When the youth of the country connects with the land, it makes the vision of a developed India even more expansive. This youth, in their heart, strengthens the resolve to live for the country, to do something for the country,” he said.
He said participants from nearly 250 districts had taken part in the programme and highlighted the role of the MY Bharat platform in connecting youth across the country.
Referring to border regions, the Prime Minister said these areas had strong developmental aspirations despite challenges. He noted that the government now considers border villages as the country’s “first villages”.
“We should be immensely proud that even under such severely deprived circumstances, the patriotism of the people in the border villages never weakened,” he said.
Highlighting infrastructure development, he said improved access to electricity, roads, water, gas connections and internet was contributing to changes in daily life and local economies in these regions.
The programme is aimed at strengthening youth engagement with rural areas and supporting development in border regions.