Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is a scheme for rural India for better connectivity and transportation. Government schemes in the news are an important topic for the UPSC exam.

What is the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana?

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) launched in December 2000 aimed to provide unrestricted all-weather road connectivity to unconnected villages across India.

This initiative, classified as a centrally sponsored scheme, forms a crucial component of the government’s strategies aimed at reducing poverty.
People in rural areas with a population of 500 or more in plain regions can participate in the scheme. In hilly states, Northeastern regions, desert areas, tribal territories, and other underdeveloped regions, areas with a population of 250 or more are also eligible for participation.
Beyond constructing new roads, the scheme also allocates resources for enhancing existing road infrastructure in these designated areas, although its primary objective remains ensuring connectivity to previously isolated habitations.
All-weather roads, integral to the scheme’s goals, are designed to be accessible year-round regardless of seasonal variations. Achieving this necessitates the inclusion of adequate drainage mechanisms such as culverts, minor bridges, and causeways.
The scheme doesn’t cover repairs to asphalt or cement roads, even if those surfaces are in poor condition.
The central government shoulders 60% of the project costs, a proportion that escalates to 90% for states in the Northeast and hill regions.
Currently, the scheme is undergoing its third phase, referred to as PMGSY – III.
Panchayati Raj institutions are responsible for maintaining roads constructed under this scheme.
The Ministry of Rural Development oversees and manages the scheme.
In 2012, the National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA), the Ministry of Rural Development, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) reached an agreement, with the ILO providing assistance to implement the project.

PMGSY III Objectives

The third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana aims to consolidate the existing rural road network by upgrading the existing ‘Through Routes and Major Rural Links’ that connect habitations to:

Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs)
Higher Secondary Schools
Hospitals

Significance of PMGSY

PMGSY plays a crucial role in the development of rural India, as discussed in the following points.

Rural road connectivity is vital for rural development by enhancing access to social and economic services. This, in turn, increases farm incomes and employment opportunities.
Additionally, it plays a crucial role in poverty alleviation. The scheme seeks to fill the gap left by inadequate funds and diverted focus of planners, thus taking the fruits of development to remote corners of the country.
Increased connectivity will help the rural population avail opportunities of employment, health, education and various other social welfare schemes provided by the government.
Connectivity also encourages government functionaries such as health workers, teachers, and agriculture extension workers to willingly move to the villages to offer their services.

Challenges of PMGSY

Some of the challenges facing the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana are discussed below.

The Ministry of Rural Development estimates that they will need approximately ₹75,000-80,000 crore to maintain the roads constructed between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
States need to allocate ₹11,500 crore for road maintenance in the current fiscal year, and this amount is projected to increase to over ₹19,000 crore by 2024-25. Due to financial constraints faced by the Central Government, it remains uncertain whether the states will receive sufficient funds for road maintenance.
The Standing Committee on Rural Development, chaired by Dr. P Venugopal, highlighted in its March 2017 report on the ‘Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana’ that frequent transfers of skilled staff within State Rural Roads Development Agencies impede effective scheme monitoring.
The report also identified inadequate execution and contracting capacity, as well as delays caused by issues such as unavailability of land and forest clearances, as key reasons for the slow progress of projects under the scheme.