Formulation of Special Scheme under Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana

2025-08-12 Information

The Government has formulated a dedicated scheme, namely the Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY), for the improvement and construction of roads in rural areas. Launched in December 2000, the primary objective of the scheme is to provide all-weather road connectivity to eligible unconnected habitations in rural areas, thereby enhancing access to social and economic services and improving the quality of life for rural residents. Subsequently, new verticals of PMGSY were launched for upgradation/consolidation of rural roads, which are as under:

(i) PMGSY-II: Launched in 2013 to upgrade existing rural roads to enhance rural infrastructure.

(ii) PMGSY-III: Launched in 2019 to consolidate Through Routes and Major Rural Links by upgrading 1.25 lakh km of rural roads, including those linking Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), higher secondary schools, and hospitals.

Further, the Government has launched PMGSY IV on 11th September 2024 for providing road connectivity to 25000 unconnected eligible habitations which have become eligible due to their population increase, with a total outlay of Rs. 70,125 crore (Central Share of Rs. 49,087.50 crore and State Share of Rs. 21,037.50 crore). Unconnected habitations having 500+ population in plain areas; 250+ in NE and Hill States/UTs, Special Category Areas (Schedule V Tribal Areas, Aspirational Districts/Blocks, Desert Areas); and 100+ in LWE-affected areas (as notified by Ministry of Home Affairs in 9 States), as per Census 2011, are eligible for coverage under PMGSY as per population norms of the programme. Under this scheme, 62,500 Km of all-weather roads will be provided to unconnected habitations. Construction of required bridges along the alignment of the all-weather road will also be provided.

The preliminary identification of eligible habitations under PMGSY-IV has been completed, and the Ministry is working in close coordination with State Governments to finalise and sanction proposals accordingly.

A total of 7,83,000 km of road length has been constructed as on 07.08.2025 under all the interventions/verticals of PMGSY, and more than 1.62 lakh habitations have been provided connectivity under the scheme during the same period.

Further, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) is mainly responsible for the development & maintenance of National Highways. The MoRTH provides funds for the development of state roads under the Central Road & Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) scheme.

PMGSY roads are constructed by the State Governments with a design life of at least 10 years. As per PMGSY guidelines, maintenance of roads constructed under the programme is the responsibility of the State Governments and maintenance funds are provided by the States. All PMGSY road works are covered by initial five-year maintenance contracts to be entered into along with the construction contract, with the same contractor, as per the Standard Bidding Document. Maintenance funds to service the contract are required to be budgeted by the State Governments and placed at the disposal of the State Rural Roads Development Agencies (SRRDAs) in a separate maintenance account. The maintenance works on PMGSY roads are monitored online through eMARG (Electronic Maintenance of Rural Roads) application. On expiry of this 5-year post-construction maintenance, PMGSY roads are required to be placed under Zonal maintenance contracts consisting of 5-year maintenance, including renewal as per cycle, from time to time.

MoRTH has released Rs 120.15 Cr under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) to Uttarakhand in FY 2025-26 for the repair of roads.

So far under PMGSY (all verticals), 1,91,282 number of rural roads covering a length of 8,38,611 km and 12,146 bridges have been sanctioned, out of which 1,83,215 road works for a length of 7,83,727 km and 9,891 bridges have been completed.

The National highways and State highways are not covered under PMGSY. The MoRTH has informed that the primary reasons for delay in NH projects, if any, are issues/bottlenecks relating to land acquisition, statutory clearances/permissions, utility shifting, encroachment removal, law & order, financial crunch of Concessionaire / Contractor, poor performance of Contractor /Concessionaire, and Force Majeure events like Covid-19 pandemic, heavy rainfall, floods, cyclone, landslides/avalanches, etc.

The MoRTH has informed that it is leveraging the mechanism of review and resolution of bottlenecks/hindrances in ongoing projects, in active collaboration with the State Governments and other stakeholders. The MoRTH has further informed that it is also making full efforts to expedite the availability of necessary clearances/approvals and the fulfilment of conditions precedent for new projects.

New/ green technology economises the construction cost of roads as well as the disposal of different industrial as well as municipal waste effectively, which will not only save the environment but also conserve the use of virgin mining materials effectively. It will also enhance the execution capacity and reduce the construction period.

Adoption of eco-friendly green & sustainable materials and cutting-edge construction practices & technology for road construction is promoted. Based on international best practices and the outcome of indigenous research, new standards/guidelines are framed by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) and existing standards/guidelines of IRC are amended from time to time to facilitate the use of such materials and technology. MoRTH/National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have also issued policy guidelines on the use of such eco-friendly materials/processes. New/innovative materials/processes are also accredited by the Indian Road Congress (IRC) for use in trial sections. All such materials and processes as allowed by IRC standards/guidelines, International Standards such as American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM), Euro Codes, British Codes, as well as materials accredited by IRC are allowed in National Highways Projects.

Various kinds of eco-friendly green and sustainable materials such as fly ash, slag, construction & demolition waste, inert materials of landfill, waste plastic, crumb rubber modified bitumen, milling & recycling, geosynthetics including jute & coir, bamboo crash barrier, bio-bitumen, bio-engineering measures for slope protection, ground granulated blast furnace slag, etc. are used in different NH projects depending upon availability and feasibility of use.

So far, under PMGSY (all verticals), around 1,66,694 km of road works have been sanctioned using new/ green technologies, out of which 1,24,688 km have been completed.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Kamlesh Paswan in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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