Jammu and Kashmir is ranked at third place among all states/union territories for developing the highest road length under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the financial year 2020-21.
As per the official figures, J&K was assigned a target to construct 3500 kilometres road length during the fiscal 2020-21, it has managed to complete 3167 kms.
J&K is only behind Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. Out of 177 targets of connecting habitations with roads, J&K has been able to connect 119 habitations.
Apart from bagging third position for completing construction of roads, four districts of J&K are among the top 30 districts in PMGSY.
Udhampur district has bagged the top position at the national level for successfully implementing the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana during 2020-21.
Udhampur district has received the top position for constructing roads of the maximum length of 560.49 kms in 2020-21. Four more districts from Jammu and Kashmir have also figured in the list of PMGSY top performing 30 districts of the country. These include Rajouri (420.25 Km), Doda (335.71 Km), Kathua (297.79 Km) and Reasi (223.23 Km).
The PMGSY is a programme launched by the Union government to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.
According to official data, since the inception from 2001, under the PMGSY J&K government has been able to complete construction of 14053 kms of road length with an expenditure Rs 7661.45 crores.
PMGSY was launched, as a one-time special intervention, with the objective 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, deserts and tribal areas as per 2001 census) in the core network for uplifting the socio-economic condition of the rural population.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the funding pattern of works under PMGSY is 90:10, 90 percent funds come from the central government and 10 percent contribution is to be made by the Jammu and Kashmir government.
“Under PMGSY we have introduced new technologies which have proved beneficial in providing quality roads to the people. Besides, this year we have introduced e-mARG (electronic Maintenance of Rural Roads under PMGSY). It is an app developed for a standardized transparent process oriented system to manage and monitor maintenance of rural roads under post construction defect liability period of five years and five year performance guarantee,” said a senior official.