Lok Sabha Question No. 3899 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-12
Subject: Formulation of Special Scheme under PMGSY
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3899 ANSWERED ON 12/08/2025

## FORMULATION OF SPECIAL SCHEME UNDER PMGSY

3899. Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh: Shri Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has formulated any special scheme for the improvement and construction of roads in rural areas, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  set  any  specific  funds  for  the repair and maintenance of rural roads, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether various rural areas still do not have road connectivity, if so, the details thereof and the steps taken to connect these areas;
- (d) the  reasons  for  the  delay  in  the  construction  of  national highways and State highways;
- (e) the steps being taken by the Government to expedite this and complete it on time; and
- (f) whether the Government is using environment friendly techniques  in  the  construction  of  roads,  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a): Yes.  The  Government  has  formulated  a  dedicated  scheme, namely  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Gram  Sadak  Yojana  (PMGSY),  for  the improvement and construction of roads in rural areas. Launched in December 2000, the primary objective of the scheme is to provide allweather  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.

- (b): 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.

- (c): 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.
- (d): 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.
- (e): 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.
- (f): Yes. 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.

*****