Sluggish PMGSY road work in state in 2023-24
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 04 2025: The implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Manipur has seen a mixed outcome over the last three years, with road construction progressing at a slow pace.

The state has been sanctioned 502 km of road length under PMGSY in the financial year 2023-24, but only 59 km has been completed so far.

In the preceding years, Manipur was sanctioned no new roads, yet 684 km and 1,340 km were completed in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively.

According to information shared by minister of state for rural development Kamlesh Paswan in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the central government has been actively funding the rural road development projects in the state.

Manipur received Rs 742 crore in 2021-22, Rs 744.98 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 161.29 crore in 2023-24 under PMGSY .

The expenditure, including the state's share was reported as Rs 710.58 crore spent in 2021-22, Rs 539.11 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 296.83 crore in 2023-24 .

The Centre has sanctioned a total of 8,34,716 km of road length across the country under PMGSY, out of which 7,71,641 km have already been completed.

To enhance cost-effectiveness and promote sustainable construction methods, the ministry of rural development and the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) have introduced initiatives under the Vision Document on New Technology Initiatives & Guidelines-2022 .

Under this initiative, 1,63,877 km of road projects have been sanctioned using green technology, with 1,14,789 km completed to date.

Maintenance of rural roads under PMGSY remains a critical responsibility of the state governments.

The ministry has established a five-year maintenance contract as part of the Standard Bidding Document (SBD) and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with all states and union territories to ensure long-term road upkeep.

The e-MARG software module has been implemented to facilitate timely maintenance payments, incorporating essential rehabilitation and repair work.

The union cabinet has also approved PMGSY-IV, which will be implemented between 2024-25 and 2028-29 with a total outlay of Rs 70,125 crore.

Under this phase, financial assistance will be provided to construct 62,500 km of new roads, particularly targeting unconnected habitations with a population of 250-plus in the northeast and hill states.

The guidelines for PMGSY-IV have been circulated to all states and UTs .

Comment