(a) whether the works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) are being executed at a slower pace in Bihar and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the construction of roads approved five years ago is still incomplete and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to take any concrete steps to connect all the rural habitations with the main roads in Bihar; and
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the time by which it is likely to be completed?
MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)
(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
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Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No 223 due for answer on 02.08.2018
(a) to (d): Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is a one-time special intervention of the Union Government to provide rural connectivity, by way of single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations in the core network. Under PMGSY, all eligible unconnected habitations with more than 500 population in plain areas, 250+ population in Special Category States( Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand), the Desert Areas (as identified in the District Development Programme), the Tribal (Schedule V) areas and Selected Tribal and Backward districts as identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs/NITI Aayog as per 2001 census are to be connected by all weather road. For critical Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected blocks (as identified by MHA), additional relaxation has been given to connect habitations with population of 100 persons and above.
As reported by the State Government of Bihar, out of 10,011 road works, measuring 38,988.50 km road length approved till March, 2013, 9,467 road works with road length 35536.43 km have been completed.
PMGSY is executed through State Rural Roads Development Agency (SRRDA) at State level and Programme Implementation Units (PIUs) at district levels. Sensing the importance and urgency of rural roads for national development, the sanctioning of the projects has been expedited and adequate funds are being made available. The progress of implementation of PMGSY is regularly reviewed by way of Regional Review Meetings (RRMs), Performance Review Committee (PRC) Meetings & Pre-Empowered/Empowered Committee Meetings with the States. At District level, the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (Disha) headed by Member of Parliament (LS) monitors the implementation of various schemes of Government of India including PMGSY. In addition to this, special review meetings are also held by Secretary/ Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development with Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries of the States.
All eligible unconnected habitations as per core network in Bihar under PMGSY-I have been sanctioned road connectivity by the Ministry of Rural Development. The Government of India has taken a decision to accelerate execution of PMGSY in all States including Bihar by providing connectivity to eligible habitations as per the Core Network of PMGSY by March, 2019 and in the LWE blocks by 2020.