Constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

2257.  SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) the details of ongoing road projects/roads being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), State/UT-wise particularly in Bihar and Jharkhand;

(b) the time by which the construction work of the said projects are likely to be completed;

(c) the detailed criteria for selection of roads under PMGSY; and

(d) the details of monitoring mechanism put in place by the Government to complete the construction of quality roads in time?

(a) The State/ UT wise details of ongoing roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) can be seen at omms.nic.in>Proposals>State-wise List of Roads.

(b) The date for completion of PMGSY-I and PMGSY-II was September, 2022 ; for RCPLWEA it is March, 2023 and for PMGSY-III it is March, 2025.

(c) PMGSY-I was launched as a one-time special intervention to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size (500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-Eastern States, Himalayan States and Himalayan Union Territories as per 2001 census) in the core network for uplifting the socio-economic condition of the rural population. Relaxation has been provided to 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 (MHA) and Planning Commission) and unconnected habitations in these areas with a population of 250 persons and above in the Core Network as per Census 2001 are eligible for connectivity under the scheme. In the critical Left Wing Extremism affected blocks (as identified by Ministry of Home Affairs), additional relaxation has been given to connect habitations with population 100 persons and above as per 2001 census. The Scheme had also an element of upgradation (to prescribed standards) of existing rural roads in districts where all the eligible habitations of the designated population size have been connected with all- weather road connectivity. The roads connecting the targeted habitations were taken up for sanction under the new connectivity component of the scheme. Under upgradation component, intermediate link roads, which were not upto the standards of all-weather roads, were taken up for upgradation to the prescribed standards.

Under PMGSY-II, launched in 2013, which envisages upgradation of the existing rural road network to improve its overall efficiency as a provider of transportation services for people, goods and services, the selection of roads in a particular district/ block has been done by the States/ UTs based on the utility value of the eligible roads computed on the basis of their economic potential and their role in facilitating the growth of rural market centres and rural hubs.

Under Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA), which was launched in 2016 with the twin objectives of enabling smooth and seamless anti- LWE operations by the security forces and also ensuring socio-economic development of the area, the selection of the projects is done by the Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with the states and security forces.

Under PMGSY-III, launched in 2019, which envisages consolidation of existing Through Routes (TR) and Major Rural Links (MRL) connecting habitations, inter-alia, to Gramin Agricultural Markets, Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals, the selection of roads in a particular district/block is done by the States/UTs based on the utility value of the eligible roads computed on the basis of the population served by the road and market, educational, medical and transport infrastructure facilities connected by the concerned road.

(d) Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has a three-tiered Quality Control mechanism for ensuring construction of quality road works and durability of road assets under PMGSY. Under the first tier, the Programme Implementation Units (PIUs) are required to ensure process control through mandatory tests on material and workmanship at the field laboratory. The second tier is a structured independent quality monitoring at the State level through State Quality Monitors (SQMs) to ensure that every work is inspected at initial stage, intermediate stage and final stage of the construction. Under the third tier, which is at the national level, independent National Quality Monitors (NQMs) are deployed for random inspection of road works to monitor quality and also to provide guidance of senior professionals to the field functionaries. Based on the periodic monitoring of quality of roads under the 3-tier mechanism, corrective measures, wherever necessary, are taken by the State Governments.

Further, the implementation of all sanctioned works is being monitored through online programme Monitoring Information System named Online Management, Monitoring and Accounting System (OMMAS) on real time basis. In addition, the progress is regularly reviewed by the Ministry 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 Hon’ble Member of Parliament (LS) monitors the implementation of various schemes of Government of India including PMGSY. Besides above, special review meetings/monthly review meetings are also held by Secretary/ Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development with Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries of the States to take stock of the progress of the scheme and remove the bottlenecks, if any.

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