Construction of rural roads has hit the 12,000km mark in the first half of 2023-24, surpassing 100% of the target for the first time in several years. It crossed the targeted 6,000km construction for the June quarter at 6,403km as well.

During the last fiscal year, about 41% of the targeted road construction under the scheme could be completed, far below the targeted performance of the previous eight years.

“The scheme has picked up pace now as development is the focus of the government that faces elections both at states and at the Centre between this year and the next. It is now expected that entitled budgeted amount under PMGSY would be exhausted much before the end of the fiscal with more funds being sought to complete larger projects this year,” said a person aware of the development, on condition of anonymity.

The ministry of rural development, which administers the centrally-sponsored scheme, didn’t respond to Mint’s queries till the time of going to press. The pace of rural road construction is contrary to the country’s highway development programme, where the pace has slowed for the last couple of years, with just 26% of work completed in the first six months of the current fiscal, and the annual target of 13,800km will be missed by a big margin. The government, as part of its poverty reduction strategy, had launched the PMGSY on 25 December 2000 as a centrally-sponsored scheme to assist states, though “rural roads” is in the state list under the Constitution.

The primary objective of PMGSY is to provide connectivity via all-weather roads (including culverts and cross-drainage structures, which is operable throughout the year), to all eligible unconnected habitations in rural areas, linking unconnected habitations with a population of 1,000, and unconnected habitations with 500 people.

The programme is now in the third phase. It has led to construction of 745,980km of roads out of the sanctioned 813,924km in the three phases of PMGSY and one phase of Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA).

About 51,000km of road remains to be built under the programme by 2024-25.

The government has allocated nearly ₹19,000 crore under the programme in FY24, and aims to complete around 25,000 km of rural roads.

According to a report by SBI Caps, while 99% of the sanctioned length in PMGSY-I and PMGSY-II stands completed, PMGSY-III and RCPLWEA are 60-70% complete.

However, overall, the programme has been witnessing steady progress this year.

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Updated: 27 Oct 2023, 11:27 PM IST