Lok Sabha Question No. 2257 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-14
Subject: Construction of Roads under PMGSY
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Nishikant  Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2257 ANSWERED ON 14/03/2023

## CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS UNDER PMGSY

2257.   SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of ongoing road projects/roads being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), State/UT-wise particularly in Bihar and Jharkhand;
- (b) the time by which the construction work of the said projects are likely to be completed;
- (c) the detailed criteria for selection of roads under PMGSY; and
- (d) the details of monitoring mechanism put in place by the Government to complete the construction of quality roads in time?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a)            The  State/  UT  wise  details  of  ongoing  roads  under  Pradhan  Mantri  Gram  Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) can be seen at omms.nic.in>Proposals>State-wise List of Roads.
- (b)         The  date  for  completion  of  PMGSY-I  and  PMGSY-II  was  September,  2022  ;  for RCPLWEA it is March, 2023 and for PMGSY-III it is March, 2025.
- (c)      PMGSY-I was launched as a one-time special intervention to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size (500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-Eastern States, Himalayan States and Himalayan Union Territories as per 2001 census) in the core network for uplifting the  socio-economic  condition  of  the  rural  population.  Relaxation  has  been  provided  to  the Desert Areas (as identified in the Desert Development Programme), the Tribal (Schedule V) areas  and  Selected  Tribal  and  Backward  Districts  (as  identified  by  the  Ministry  of  Home Affairs (MHA) and Planning Commission) and unconnected habitations in these areas with a population of 250 persons and above in the Core Network as per Census 2001 are eligible for connectivity  under  the  scheme.  In  the  critical  Left  Wing  Extremism  affected  blocks  (as identified  by  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs),  additional  relaxation  has  been  given  to  connect habitations with population 100 persons and above as per 2001 census. The Scheme had also an element of upgradation (to prescribed standards) of existing rural roads in districts where all  the  eligible  habitations  of  the  designated  population  size  have  been  connected  with  allweather road connectivity. The roads connecting the targeted habitations were taken up for sanction under the new  connectivity  component of the scheme. Under upgradation component, intermediate link roads, which were not upto the standards of all-weather roads, were taken up for upgradation to the prescribed standards.

Under PMGSY-II, launched in 2013, which envisages upgradation of the existing rural road network to improve its overall efficiency as a provider of transportation services for people, goods and services, the selection of roads in a particular district/ block has been done by the States/  UTs based on the utility  value  of  the  eligible  roads  computed  on  the  basis  of  their economic potential and their role in facilitating the growth of rural market centres and rural hubs.

Under Road Connectivity  Project  for  Left  Wing  Extremism  Affected  Areas  (RCPLWEA), which was launched in 2016 with the twin objectives of enabling smooth and seamless antiLWE operations by the security forces and also ensuring socio-economic development of the area,  the  selection  of  the  projects  is  done  by  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  in  consultation with the states and security forces.

Under  PMGSY-III,  launched  in  2019,  which  envisages  consolidation  of  existing  Through Routes  (TR)  and  Major  Rural  Links  (MRL)  connecting  habitations,  inter-alia,  to  Gramin Agricultural  Markets,  Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals, the selection of roads in a particular district/block is done by the States/UTs based on the utility value of the eligible roads computed on the basis of the population served by the road and market, educational, medical and transport infrastructure facilities connected by the concerned road.

(d)         Pradhan  Mantri  Gram  Sadak  Yojana  (PMGSY)  has  a  three-tiered  Quality  Control mechanism  for  ensuring  construction  of  quality  road  works  and  durability  of  road  assets under PMGSY. Under the first tier, the Programme Implementation Units (PIUs) are required to ensure process control through mandatory tests on material and workmanship at the field laboratory. The second tier is a structured independent quality monitoring at the State level through State Quality Monitors (SQMs) to ensure that every work is inspected at initial stage, intermediate stage and final stage of the construction. Under the third tier, which is at the national  level,  independent  National  Quality  Monitors  (NQMs)  are  deployed  for  random inspection  of  road  works  to  monitor  quality  and  also  to  provide  guidance  of  senior professionals to the field functionaries. Based on the periodic monitoring of quality of roads under the 3-tier mechanism, corrective measures, wherever necessary, are taken by the State Governments.

Further,  the  implementation  of  all  sanctioned  works  is  being  monitored  through  online programme  Monitoring  Information  System  named  Online  Management,  Monitoring  and Accounting  System  (OMMAS)  on  real  time  basis. In  addition,  the  progress  is  regularly reviewed  by  the  Ministry  by  way  of  Regional  Review  Meetings  (RRMs),  Performance Review Committee (PRC) Meetings, Pre-Empowered/ Empowered Committee Meetings with the States. At District level,  the  District  Development  Coordination  and  Monitoring Committee  (DISHA)  headed by Hon'ble Member  of  Parliament (LS) monitors the implementation  of  various  schemes  of  Government  of  India  including  PMGSY. Besides above,  special  review  meetings/monthly  review  meetings  are  also  held  by  Secretary/ Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development with Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries of the States to take stock of the progress of the scheme and remove the bottlenecks, if any.

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