(a) whether the Government has issued any fresh directions/guidelines to various states for identification of villages and selection of roads for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY);
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether some States have raised objections in regard to the implementation of the said scheme; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)
(a) to (d): ‘Rural Roads’ is a State subject and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is a one-time special intervention to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations in the core network with a population of 500 persons and above (Census 2001) in plain areas. In respect of “Special Category States” (i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand), the Desert Areas (as identified in the Desert Development Programme), the Tribal (Schedule V) areas and Selected Tribal and Backward Districts (as identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Planning Commission), the objective would be to connect eligible unconnected habitations with a population of 250 persons and above (Census 2001). In the critical LWE affected blocks (as identified by MHA), additional relaxation has been given to connect habitations with population 100 persons and above (2001 census). The Government of India has also launched PMGSY-II which envisages consolidation of the existing Rural Road Network to improve its overall efficiency as a provider of transportation services for people, goods and services. It also focuses on upgradation of existing selected rural roads (Through Routes and Major Rural Links) based on their economic potential and their role in facilitating the growth of rural market centres and rural hubs. As per the PMGSY Guidelines, unit of implementation is a Habitation & not a revenue village
For accelerated execution of PMGSY in the States, the Ministry of Rural Development in consultation with the Ministry of Finance and the States has formulated an Action Plan to advance the completion target of the Programme from 2022 to 2019, with revised fund sharing pattern (60:40 for all States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States for which it will be 90:10). All the States have been advised to submit the balance proposals as per the Core Network of PMGSY to the Ministry.
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