Celebrating 25th Anniversary: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

Syllabus: GS2/Governance/GS3/Economy 

In News

• The 25th anniversary of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was observed recently. 

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

• It was Launched in 2000 to provide all-weather road connectivity to eligible, previously unconnected rural habitations. 
• It established the foundation for universal rural access by linking villages with markets, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities.
• It  has emerged as a key enabler of agricultural growth, employment generation, improved access to education and health services, and poverty alleviation.

Objectives

• It aims to ensure all-weather access to habitations with population thresholds
• It aims to facilitate access to schools, healthcare, and markets.
• It aims to spur rural job creation through construction and maintenance.
• It aims to reduce isolation and improve income opportunities.

Phases 

• Phase I:  Road connectivity projects for a total of 1,63,339 rural habitations have been sanctioned nationwide.
• Phase – II (2013):  Introduced in 2013 and  focused on strengthening and consolidating the existing rural road network.
  • It prioritized the upgradation of economically important routes linking rural markets, growth centers, and service hubs, with the objective of improving transportation efficiency and accelerating rural economic development.
  • Launched in 2016, the road connectivity project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Area (RCPLWEA) is a targeted intervention for infrastructure development covering 44 most severely affected Left Wing Extremism (LWE) districts and adjoining areas across nine States- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Phase III- (2019) focuses on upgrading 1,25,000 km of Through Routes and Major Rural Links to strengthen connectivity between rural habitations and key socio-economic institutions, including Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), higher secondary schools, and healthcare facilities.
• Phase – IV (2024): Phase IV of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) aims to provide all-weather road connectivity to 25,000 unconnected rural habitations, based on Census 2011 population criteria

Steps 

• The government has strengthened rural road development under PMGSY through the extensive use of advanced technologies, digital platforms, and robust quality standards to ensure durability, transparency, and sustainability. 
• Real-time monitoring of physical and financial progress is carried out through the Online Management, Monitoring, and Accounting System (OMMAS), which integrates project management, geo-tagged quality inspections, and independent assessments by State and National Quality Monitors.
• Road maintenance is systematically tracked through the e-MARG platform, linking contractor payments during the defect liability period to actual road performance and quality outcomes.
• Transparency has further improved with the mandatory use of GPS-enabled vehicle tracking systems to monitor machinery deployment in PMGSY-III works.

Achievements 

• PMGSY has evolved into a key driver of socio-economic transformation, strengthening market integration, facilitating better price realization for farmers, and supporting both farm and non-farm livelihoods. 
• The programme has greatly improved rural connectivity, market access, education, healthcare, and inclusive economic growth.
• It is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and goes beyond infrastructure to promote transparency, sustainability, poverty reduction, and comprehensive rural transformation.

 Challenges

• Ensuring long-term upkeep of roads amid budget constraints.
• Roads vulnerable to floods, landslides, and extreme weather events.
• Remote tribal, desert, and hilly regions still face connectivity deficits.
• Rising costs of construction materials and land acquisition.

Conclusion and Way Forward 

• As PMGSY completes 25 years in 2025, it stands as a cornerstone of India’s rural development, with nearly 95% of sanctioned rural roads completed. 
• The next phase must prioritize sustainability, climate adaptation, and inclusive coverage to ensure that rural connectivity continues to drive India’s development narrative. 
• Strengthening maintenance, leveraging technology, and focusing on underserved regions will be key to making PMGSY future-ready.

Source  :PIB