Rural road scheme lagging behind

Only 49 percent target achieved so far

brajesh

Brajesh Kumar | March 9, 2010



Central government’s ambitious plan to connect all rural habitations by the end of year 2012 seems unlikely to materialize. The rural development ministry admitted in the parliament on Monday that the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadaj Yojna (PMGSY), the flagships programme to connect rural India through motorable roads, is running behind schedule.

In the first three years of eleventh five year plan (2007-12), it has connected only 49% of the net eligible habitations.  The remaining 51% of the habitations have to be connected in two years, a highly unlikely scenario.

The ministry has largely blamed the states for the delay caused. Among various reasons cited some are: inadequate institutional capacity in some of the states; limited contracting capacity in some states; non-availability of construction materials in the locality; law and order problems in some parts of the country; limited working seasons and adverse climatic conditions; unfavourable weather conditions and limited availability of resources.

The eleventh five year plan has set a target to construct 230447km of road length and provide all weather connectivity to 60638 habitations. Against these targets 29000 habitations have been provided connectivity and 134887 km of roads have been constructed till January 2010.

Comments

 

Other News

“Cancer is just a mind game”

Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant, a Padma Shri awardee, inspired audiences for decades through her mastery of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. But it was her journey through cancer that taught some of life`s most powerful lessons in courage and resilience.

Why Swami Vivekananda is the pathfinder for our times

Swami Vivekananda for Our Times  Edited and compiled by Rajiv Sikri, with Introduction by S. Gurumurthy Rupa Publications, 552 pages, Rs 695  

Five ways to realise the potential of India’s handicraft and handloom sector

India`s economic ambitions are increasingly defined by the industries of the future. Semiconductors, electronics, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing dominate policy conversations. Yet one of India`s largest employment-intensive sectors continues to occupy a surprisingly marginal place in ec

Beyond toilets: Why open defecation persists in rural India

Despite the awareness campaigns on sanitation across India, open defecation (OD) is practised openly and widely in both rural and urban areas. Research shows that rural respondents are well aware of the negative impacts of OD, yet this awareness does not lead to toilet construction or use. In rural North I

What unpaid nation builders want from policymakers

The Supreme Court recently described homemakers as “nation builders” and fixed a notional monthly income of Rs 30,000 for them in motor accident compensation cases. The judgment was not about wages. It was about compensation. Yet it inadvertently raised a larger economic question: If a homemake

What the US–Iran peace deal means for India

After months of rising tensions, the United States and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding called the "Islamabad Agreement." This agreement allows for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and provides Iran with relief from sanctions, depending on its complianc





Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter