Parliament Question: Implementation and progress of PMGSY-IV

O.I.H. GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 154 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13/02/2026 IMPLEMENTATION AND PROGRESS OF PMGSY-IV 154 Shri Chunnilal Garasiya: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the current status of approvals for construction of roads for the 25,000 unconnected habitations targeted under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-Phase IV (PMGSY-IV); (b) the details of progress made so far in the construction of all-weather roads under PMGSY-IV since its approval in September 2024; (c) the manner in which impact of upgradation of roads under PMGSY-II and PMGSY-III on access to schools, health centres and transport facilities has been assessed, details of findings thereof; (d) the criteria adopted for identification of Growth Centres under PMGSY-IV; and (e) the manner in which e-MARG platform is being used for monitoring construction and maintenance of rural roads under PMGSY? ANSWER MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN) (a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. Page 1 of 3Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (e) of Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 154 for 13.02.2026 regarding “IMPLEMENTATION AND PROGRESS OF PMGSY-IV”. (a) & (b): The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched in 2000, as a one time special dispensation, for providing connectivity to eligible unconnected habitations in the country. The new phase, PMGSY-IV has been launched for construction of 62,500 km of all- weather roads (single lane) to provide connectivity to about 25,000 unconnected habitations of population size 500+ in plains, 250+ in North Eastern Region & Hill states/UTs, special category areas (Tribal Schedule V, Aspirational Districts/Blocks, Desert areas) and 100+ in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts (areas notified by MHA) in 9 States, as per Census 2011. PMGSY Phase-IV is being implemented from Financial Years 2024–2025 to 2028–2029. The Central Government is working in close coordination with the States to facilitate submission of proposals under PMGSY IV. Till date under PMGSY-IV, 2882 road works covering a length of 10,577.70 km have been sanctioned. Tendering of the sanctioned works is presently at various stages across the states/UTs. So far, the UT of Jammu & Kashmir has begun awarding the works and in remaining states/UTs it is under process. Hence, the physical and financial progress will start getting reported after finalization of tendering process by the states/UTs. The current status of PMGSY-IV is given below:- Sr.No. Name of No. of Road works Road Length No. of Bridge Works State/UT Sanctioned Sanctioned (km) Sanctioned 1 Chhattisgarh 774 2,426.875 0 2 Himachal 294 1,538.058 0 Pradesh 3 Jammu And 316 1,781.334 0 Kashmir 4 Rajasthan 1,216 3,218.971 1 5 Sikkim 96 384.267 0 6 Uttarakhand 184 1,228.198 0 Total 2,880 10,577.703 1 (c): Various independent evaluation studies on PMGSY conducted by NITI Aayog, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO) and Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani have concluded that PMGSY has improved access to education and health care facilities, facilitated employment generation in both farm and non-farm sectors, helped farmers in getting better farm prices and so on. PMGSY roads have provided better educational opportunities to children, particularly the girl child to continue their education beyond the elementary school level. Health facilities have been made accessible to people. Women have been the major beneficiaries, with higher numbers of childbirths taking place in government hospitals and also their participation in financial decision- making has increased which is reflected in their enhanced market accessibility. Under PMGSY, road access has been provided to about 6,96,620 facilities of which 1,38,637 are agricultural markets, 1,46,784 are educational centers, 82,806 are medical centers and 3,28,393 are connected to transportation hubs and so on. Under PMGSY-II, as against the target of 50,000 km, 49,777.70 km and 759 bridges have been sanctioned out of which 49,093.10 km and 750 bridges have been completed. Under PMGSY-III, as against the target of 1,25,000 km, 1,22,322.5 km and 3211 bridges have been sanctioned out of which 1,03,554.80 km and 1776 bridges have been completed. Page 2 of 3(d): The primary objective of PMGSY-IV is to provide all-weather road connectivity to about 25,000 unconnected habitations of population size 500+ in plains, 250+ in Hill States/UTs and North Eastern Region, Special Category Areas (Tribal Schedule V, Aspirational Blocks/Districts, Desert areas) and 100+ in LWE affected districts (areas notified by MHA) in 9 States as per Census 2011. Under PMGSY-IV, a mobile application, named "PMGSY Gram Sadak Survey App”, has been developed to identify possible alignments of roads to unconnected eligible habitations. PM Gati Shakti portal with a wider database is available for detailed analysis of data received from the transect walk and facilitates developing the preliminary Detailed Project Reports. The data captured is then verified at the State level before uploading on Geo Sadak. The State Rural Roads Development Agencies are responsible for ensuring that the vetted proposals meet the objectives of PMGSY-IV. The unconnected habitations to be covered under PMGSY-IV are to be prioritized as per details given below: Priority Population Size No. I (a) Under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan -500 or more population and 50% or more ST population as per census 2011 - 50 or more ST population in 250 + population category in Aspirational Districts as per census 2011 I (b) Under Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojna (PM-AJAY) -500 or more population and 40% or more SC population as per census 2011 II Eligible population size as per PMGSY-IV and under convergence schemes of Central Government with rural road component (as specified by Department of Rural Development from time-to-time) III 1000+ IV 500-999 V 250-499 VI 100-249 (e): The Electronic Maintenance of Rural Roads (e-MARG) platform is an end-to-end e- governance system used for monitoring, quality control and maintenance of rural roads constructed under PMGSY across the country. The platform primarily covers the five-year Defect Liability Period (DLP) and subsequent maintenance through Performance-Based Maintenance Contracts. Under e-MARG, road inspections are carried out digitally using mobile applications by field engineers and quality monitors, with geo-tagged and time-stamped photographs uploaded to the system. Inspection findings are updated in real time, enabling Project Implementation Units and state authorities to continuously monitor road condition and maintenance quality. The platform uses automated performance evaluation based on inspection data to assess compliance with prescribed maintenance standards, thereby, ensuring transparency and uniformity in quality control. Further, the system links maintenance payments to verified performance, with online processing of bills based on inspection outcomes. e-MARG also provides centralized dashboards and geo-referenced data for district, state and national-level monitoring and integrates citizens’ feedback through QR codes and grievance redressal mechanisms, thereby, enhancing transparency, accountability and sustained upkeep of rural roads. ***** Page 3 of 3