Youths should visit border villages to understand India rather than rely on virtual platforms: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Viksit Vibrant Village (VVV) programme, which enables youths to visit border villages and stay with local communities, aims to encourage young people to experience and understand India firsthand instead of depending solely on virtual platforms.

Addressing participants of VVV Programme 2026 — many of them from Gen Z — which covered 74 ‘vibrant villages’ in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Modi said that border villages embody both a strong aspiration for development and a deep sense of patriotism. At times, he observed, it appears that the nation comes before personal interests for the people living there.

The Prime Minister noted that he had proposed this idea during the Developed India Young Leaders Dialogue. “I suggested that instead of relying only on virtual mediums, the youth should step onto the ground to know India, connect with India, live India, and truly understand India,” he said.

Modi added that the developmental ambitions of India’s villages can be fully appreciated only through direct visits and engagement.

ADVERTISEMENTDuring the virtual interaction, the prime minister emphasised that developed villages form the foundation of a developed India and reiterated that his government considers border villages as the country’s first villages.

“The journey of the Viksit Vibrant Village itself serves as a platform to connect with one another,” he said, urging young people to build a bond with the land, which broadens the vision of a developed India.

The prime minister did not comment on the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests over the NEET paper leak issue, which ended on Saturday following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister and the government’s acceptance of other key demands.

Participants in the programme were largely mobilised through digital platforms, including Instagram, and most of them belonged to Gen Z.

Modi said the VVV initiative was designed to ensure that youth from various districts travel to villages in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh.

“When young people connect with the soil of the country, it expands their vision of a developed India. It strengthens their resolve to live and work for the nation,” he said.

The prime minister said that youths from nearly 250 districts across the country took part in the programme.

“A few years ago, we launched the MY Bharat platform. Today, millions of young people across India are associated with it and are carrying out commendable work nationwide,” he said.

During the interaction, Nikita from Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli recounted how ITBP personnel supported her during her stay in a forward village in Himachal Pradesh. She said she continues to stay in touch with the host couple who accommodated her in their homestay.

Bhavyya from Telangana spoke about her experience of enjoying ‘aloo parantha’ and wearing heavy winter clothing to cope with the cold weather.

Ashish Soni from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, shared his visit to the Hikkim post office in Himachal Pradesh, known as the world’s highest functional post office.

Participants who interacted with the prime minister highlighted the quality of mobile connectivity and road infrastructure, describing them as world-class. They also noted that UPI services were widely accepted from Himachal Pradesh to Uttarkashi and Ladakh.

An official statement said the VVP Programme, implemented through MY Bharat, has been designed to fulfil the prime minister’s vision of recognising border villages as the nation’s first villages and involving them as active partners in the journey towards Viksit Bharat.

MY Bharat functions as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The Viksit Vibrant Village Programme 2026 was conducted in two phases from June 4 to June 30, covering 74 vibrant villages across Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. More than 400 youths representing every state and Union territory were selected through a nationwide online quiz that saw participation from over three lakh young people.

As part of the initiative, participants stayed with local communities and engaged in activities such as Swachhta drives, awareness campaigns on government schemes, Yuva Sammelans, cultural exchange events, tree plantation drives, Mini Model Panchayat simulations, interactions with local artisans and visits to strategically important institutions.

The programme offered participants direct exposure to the socio-economic conditions, cultural heritage and developmental aspirations of India’s border regions, while promoting community involvement, national integration and a deeper appreciation of the strategic significance of frontier villages.