Lok Sabha Question No. 1539 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-12
Subject: Audit on Roads constructed under PMGSY
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy

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

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1539 ANSWERED ON 12/12/2023

## AUDIT ON ROADS CONSTRUCTED UNDER PMGSY

## 1539. SHRI MAGUNTA SREENIVASULU REDDY:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has conducted an audit on the roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during the last five years;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government has introduced any tech-enabled monitoring mechanisms to get a real-time update on the roads created under PMGSY;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to ensure regular maintenance and timely repairs to roads built under PMGSY?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a) & (b)  There is a three-tiered quality audit 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 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,  middle  stage  and  final  stage  of  construction.   Under the  third  tier,  independent  National  Quality  Monitors  (NQMs)  are deployed by National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) for  random  inspection  of  road  and  bridge  works  to  monitor quality and also to provide guidance to the field functionaries.

The details of NQM and SQM inspections conducted during each of the last  5  years,  based  on  the  number  of  ongoing,  completed  and maintenance works, is given below-

| Year     | Inspections conducted by SQMs   | Inspections conducted by SQMs   | Inspections conducted by SQMs   | Inspections conducted by SQMs   | Inspections conducted by NQMs   | Inspections conducted by NQMs   | Inspections conducted by NQMs   | Inspections conducted by NQMs   |
|----------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| Year     | No. of Inspections              | U% in completed works           | U% in ongoing works             | U% in maintenance works         | No. of Inspections              | U% in completed works           | U% in ongoing works             | U% in maintenance works         |
| 2018- 19 | 37,582                          | 1.53                            | 2.5                             | 13.74                           | 9,356                           | 5.69                            | 7.41                            | 24.36                           |
| 2019- 20 | 36,497                          | 2.11                            | 2.56                            | 11.97                           | 8,989                           | 8.20                            | 8.82                            | 22.75                           |
| 2020- 21 | 27,832                          | 1.31                            | 2.37                            | 8.5                             | 2,653                           | 6.70                            | 6.16                            | 20.70                           |
| 2021- 22 | 59,328                          | 0.85                            | 1.70                            | 9.35                            | 9,262                           | 6.75                            | 4.21                            | 22.71                           |
| 2022- 23 | 52,599                          | 1.11                            | 2.35                            | 12.76                           | 7,162                           | 9.63                            | 7.38                            | 21.88                           |

Note- U% - Unsatisfactory percentage

The  works  reported  as  unsatisfactory  are  taken  up  with  the  State Governments for rectification and submission of Action Taken Reports.

To  assess  the  outcomes  of  the  programme,  NITI  Aayog  and  World Bank have carried out Impact Evaluation Studies of PMGSY roads  in  the year 2020 and 2018 respectively. The NITI Aayog in it's report 'Evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Rural Development Sector Vol. 2 :  Rural  Development,  December 2020'  has mentioned that PMGSY is well aligned with -

- (i)         Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the National priorities
- (ii)        The rural context; developing rural infrastructure is a key pathway to mitigate poverty of rural areas.
- (iii)       India's international goals and is seen to contribute to SDGs 2 & 9 addressing the issues of poverty, hunger and infrastructure for growth

The  World  Bank  in  its  2018  report  has  also  documented  the  wideranging  impact  of  PMGSY  in  improving  employment  &  economic opportunities along with improved health outcomes in rural areas.

(c)  &  (d)   In  order  to  effectively  monitor  the  entire  Programme  and bring  about  greater  efficiency,  accountability  and  transparency  in implementation, a modern web based On-line Management, Monitoring  and  Accounting  System  (OMMAS)  has  been  set  up  for PMGSY. Implementation of all sanctioned  works is  being monitored through OMMAS on real time basis  to ensure that the physical and financial progress are in sync with the overall targets given to states. Further  Project  Management  Information  System  (PMIS)  has  been developed for better management of construction activities of each road sanctioned under PMGSY-III. To enhance transparency during road construction it has been made mandatory  to install Global Positioning System  (GPS) enabled Vehicle Tracking System (VTS)  on all vehicles/ machinery/ equipment deployed by the contractor/ PIUs for execution of PMGSY works. This helps in assessing the proper operation of these machinery/ equipment  for a specified period which is very essential for achieving the specified quality of  the roads being constructed. Further, as a measure of further enhancing the focus on maintenance of  roads  during  the  defect  liability  period  and  also  streamlining  the delivery of routine maintenance of PMGSY roads, Electric Maintenance of Rural Roads (eMARG) has been introduced, which is conceptualized on Performance Based Maintenance Contracts (PBMC).  Payment  to  the  contractor  is  now  made  through  eMARG which is based on the minimum condition of road, its cross drainage works  and  traffic  assets.  Payments  are  based  on  how  well  the contractor  manages  to  comply  with  the  performance  standards  or service levels defined in the contract, and not on piece work.

(e)   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. 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.  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.

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