Shillong, Jul 11 (PTI) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said 92 villages in Meghalaya, located along the India-Bangladesh border, have been selected under the second phase of the Centre's Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) and will be designated as the "first villages of India."
Speaking to reporters, Sitharaman said the move underscores the strategic and development importance of border villages.
"The 92 villages from Meghalaya are becoming the first villages of India," she told reporters, adding that she would be visiting some of them during her tour to the area.
Sitharaman highlighted that the VVP is part of a broader government initiative aimed at ensuring the development of villages along India's borders with countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tibet, China, and Nepal.
The programme aims to transform remote and often neglected settlements into hubs of infrastructure, connectivity, livelihood, healthcare, and education, she added.
She clarified that the previous Border Area Development (BAD) programme has not been discontinued.
"I don't think that is the case at all. Border area funds are continuously on. It is being managed from the Home and Defence ministries together," she said.
On a separate note, Sitharaman addressed concerns about inflation in the North East, attributing perceived economic distress to outdated or misleading data.
She said both the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and retail inflation have shown a nationwide decline, which has allowed the Reserve Bank of India to consider rate cuts, suggesting that inflation is well under control.