Over 770,000 km of Rural Roads Built Under PMGSY: Government Reports
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New Delhi, Dec 10 (NationPress) As many as 182,000 roads measuring a total length of over 770,000 km and 9,199 bridges have been completed till 6th December 2024 at an expenditure of ₹3.32 lakh crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) since the scheme was initiated, informed the Minister of State for Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan, during a session in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
He further stated that the Government of India had sanctioned phase IV of PMGSY in September 2024 to ensure all-weather connectivity to 25,000 unconnected habitations with populations of 500+ in plains, 250+ in North Eastern and Hill States/UTs, special category areas (Tribal Schedule V, Aspirational Districts/Blocks, Desert regions), and 100+ in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts, according to the Census 2011. The PMGSY-IV encompasses unconnected habitations that have gained eligibility due to population growth as per the census 2011.
The minister highlighted that the Government of India, as a part of its strategy to alleviate poverty, launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-I) on 25th December 2000 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at providing rural connectivity through a single all-weather road to eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size (500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-Eastern States, Himalayan States, and some special areas as per 2001 census) within the core network for improving the socio-economic conditions of the rural populace.
In the critical Left Wing Extremism impacted blocks, habitations with a population of 100 persons and above as per the 2001 census are also included.
Various independent evaluation studies conducted by NITI Aayog, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), World Bank India, and International Labour Organization (ILO) on the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) have concluded that it has enhanced access to education and healthcare facilities, facilitated job creation in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, and assisted farmers in obtaining better prices for their produce, as stated by the minister.
The evaluation of PMGSY at the national level, conducted by NITI Aayog in 2020, specifically noted that the scheme is well aligned with India’s International Goals and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), addressing issues of poverty, hunger, and infrastructure growth.
Roads constructed under PMGSY have been shown to create a favorable impact at both household and community levels.
The roads have been noted to improve access to markets and livelihood opportunities, as well as to health and education facilities, with PMGSY identified as laying the groundwork for lasting poverty alleviation in rural India, as cited in the NITI Aayog report.
