Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, praised MYBharat volunteers participating in the Viksit Vibrant Village Program at Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh, calling their engagement with ITBP personnel a significant step in building border awareness among India's youth.

Context

Mandaviya shared the development on X, writing: 'Connecting India, one border village at a time! Commendable efforts by MYBharat volunteers at Shipki La Pass as part of the Viksit Vibrant Village Program.' He added that gaining border security insights from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawans and learning about the strategic importance of India's frontier regions would 'significantly enhance the awareness and real-world learning of our yuva shakti' [youth power].

Shipki La Pass, located in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, is a high-altitude mountain pass on the India-China border and one of the most strategically sensitive frontier points in the country.

Policy Backdrop

The Vibrant Villages Programme was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2023, following its announcement in the 2022-23 Union Budget. The scheme targets border villages in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and other northern states, focusing on infrastructure, connectivity, and livelihood development to reduce isolation in frontier communities.

MYBharat — the youth volunteer platform under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports — has been integrated into such border outreach efforts as an experiential learning component. The approach connects grassroots development with national integration goals under the broader Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Successive central governments have expanded physical and digital connectivity in northern border villages, recognising that a visible civilian and youth presence complements the security infrastructure maintained by forces such as the ITBP.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of such programmes are border communities in remote high-altitude districts, who gain improved infrastructure and government attention. For MYBharat volunteers, exposure to frontier conditions and interaction with paramilitary personnel provides a form of civic education unavailable in mainstream settings.

ITBP jawans, who guard the India-China Line of Actual Control, also benefit from increased civilian engagement, which can strengthen local support networks in otherwise sparsely populated border zones. Youth participation metrics in border districts are expected to come under parliamentary scrutiny as the programme scales.

What's Next

The government is expected to release progress reports on the second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme, with particular focus on youth engagement outcomes in border districts. Mandaviya's public endorsement of the Shipki La initiative signals that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports intends to deepen MYBharat's role in frontier outreach, potentially expanding similar visits to border passes in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. How the programme translates volunteer exposure into measurable civic outcomes will be a key question for policymakers going forward.