Lok Sabha Question No. 2767 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-10
Subject: Repairing of Rural Roads
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Ananta Nayak

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2767 ANSWERED ON 10/03/2026

## REPAIRING OF RURAL ROADS

## 2767. Shri Ananta Nayak:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is a delay in repairing rural roads damaged during the  last  year,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  particularly  in  the Keonjhar Lok Sabha Constituency;
- (b) whether  complaints  have  been  received  from  the  affected communities in this regard;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon; and
- (d) the  manner  in  which  the  Government  checks  the  quality  of repair of roads and ensures proper utilisation of the allocated funds?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c):  "Rural road" is a State subject, and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is being implemented by the Government of India  since  the  year  2000  as  a  one-time  special  intervention to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations of the designated population as laid out in the program guidelines.

PMGSY Roads are covered under a 5-year maintenance contract to be entered into, along with a construction contract with the same contractor as per the Standard Bidding Document (SBD). Since the design life of PMGSY roads is ten years, the States have to undertake further five years of maintenance. While implementing PMGSY-III, a MoU  was  signed  with  the  States  for  undertaking  post  five-year be permitted only to those States/UTs that have demonstrated through the electronic Maintenance of Rural Roads (eMARG) platform that the maintenance. The new connectivity under PMGSY-IV will routine maintenance of PMGSY roads constructed in their State, post

5 years of construction of the road, has been carried out. The post five-year construction module of eMARG incorporates initial rehabilitation, renewal, pre-renewal routine maintenance,  postrenewal maintenance and emergency repair works, as required.

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 maintenance cycle, from time to time, to be funded by the state governments. All States have framed their own rural roads maintenance policies based on the policy framework prepared by the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA), a technical arm of the Ministry of Rural Development.

In  Keonjhar  Lok  Sabha  Constituency,  repairs  of  damaged  rural roads are being addressed in a time-bound manner. One complaint has been received from the affected communities in Keonjhar Lok Sabha  Constituency  regarding  the  delay  in  the  repair  of  the  road 'Bodapalasa to Kempsada' under PMGSY. This road is under 5 year Defect  Liability  Period  (DLP).  Upon  receipt  of  the  complaint,  field verification  was  conducted  by  the  concerned  field  officers  in  the State, and based on inspection reports, necessary instructions have been  given  to  the  executing  agency  to  immediately  take  up  the maintenance work of the said road.

- (d): To ensure the quality and proper utilisation of funds for rural road  maintenance,  the  Ministry  has  instituted  the  following  multilayered monitoring and enforcement mechanisms:
- (i)    Independent  Quality  Checks:  The  Ministry  deploys  National Quality  Monitors  (NQMs)  to  conduct  random  inspections  of  road works. Any instance of substandard work is promptly flagged to the concerned State for immediate corrective action.
- (ii)  Digital  oversight  through  e-MARG:  The  e-MARG  portal,  now operational in all States, enables effective tracking of road conditions and maintenance compliance during the Defect Liability Period (DLP). Uploads of geo-referenced photographic evidence ensure transparency and timely execution.
- (iii)  Fund  Release  Linked  to  Performance:  Central  Share  of  the programme  funds  under  PMGSY  is  conditional  upon  the  States fulfilling their maintenance obligations. States must certify release of

a minimum percentage of the current year's maintenance funds i.e. 50% for fund release proposals submitted after May, and 100% for the proposals submitted after November.

(iv) Periodic Review & State-Level Monitoring: The Ministry regularly reviews  fund  utilisation  and  maintenance  progress  during  review meetings with  States/UTs.  States  are advised  to  undertake  timely inspections and adhere to prescribed maintenance cycles.

(v)    Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MoU):  Participation  in  the scheme mandates that each State/UT  sign  an  MoU  committing  to adequate  provisioning  of  funds  for  both  the  initial  and  extended maintenance phases.

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