Parliament Question: Selection of Roads under PMGSY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1467 ANSWERED ON 29/07/2025 SELECTION OF ROADS UNDER PMGSY

1467. Shri K Sudhakaran:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) the specific process adopted for consulting public representatives in Kerala during the selection of roads under various phases of the Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana

(PMGSY) and the manner in which their inputs were incorporated in the final proposals;

(b) whether the Government is aware that the final proposals for PMGSY projects submitted by the State Government of Kerala are alleged to be politically selective and that public representatives belonging to parties other than the ruling party in the State are often excluded from the consultation and planning process;

(c) the steps taken to ensure that local development priorities identified by public representatives are adequately reflected, while maintaining technical scrutiny and standards enforced by State Technical Agencies (STAs) and State-Level Sanctioning Committees (SLSCs); and

(d) whether the Government proposes to enhance the formal role of public representatives under PMGSY-IV, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a) & (b): Detailed guidelines have been issued for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) IV. As per the guidelines, the District Rural Roads Plan (DRRP) is to be updated and the draft Comprehensive New Connectivity Priority List (CNCPL) of the unconnected habitations is to be generated keeping in view interalia the suggestions received from Hon'ble Members of Page 1 of 3Parliament. As per para 5.5 of the programme guidelines of PMGSY IV, after the CNCPL is prepared and verified it shall be placed before the District Panchayat. The Hon'ble Member of Parliament/ MLAs shall be given a copy of the CNCPL and their suggestions and the suggestions of lower level Panchayati Raj institutions shall be given fullest consideration by the District Panchayat while according its approval.

Further as per para 5.6 of programme guidelines of PMGSY I, after approval of CNCPL by the District Panchayat, the proposals would be forwarded by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) to the State Rural Roads Development Agency (SRRDA). The PIU will, at that time prepare the details of proposals forwarded by the Hon'ble Members of Parliament in Proforma MP-1 with their consent, and action taken thereon in Proforma MP-II indicating the prioritization and other details, and send it along with the proposals. In all cases where the proposal of a Hon'ble Member of Parliament has not been included, cogent reasons shall be given based on the reasons given by the District Panchayat in MP-11 format itself.

Also, as per para 5.7 of programme guidelines the SRRDA shall vet the proposals to ensure that they are in accordance with the Guidelines and shall place them before the State-level Standing Committee (SLSC) along with the MP-1 and MP-II Statements.

As per 5.8 of programme guidelines, the SLSC would scrutinize the proposals to see that they are in accordance with the guidelines and that the proposals of the Hon'ble Members of Parliament have been given full consideration. In all cases where the proposals of Hon'ble Members of Parliament have not been included, cogent reasons shall be given to them and these shall be recorded in the proceedings of the SLSC. After scrutiny by the SLSC, the PIUs will prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for each proposed road work.

No proposal under PMGSY IV has been submitted by the State Government of Kerala to the Ministry so far. The proposals are submitted in feasible batches by the States to the Central Government for according sanction. The timeline for implemention of PMGSY IV is till March, 2029.

(c) & (d): As per PMGSY-IV guidelines while commencing with the preparation of the DPR, the PIU will hold a consultation with the local community through the mechanism of the Gram Panchayat in

order to determine the most suitable alignment, sort out issues of land availability (including forest land) especially due to road Page 2 of 3widening / minor change in alignment etc., proposed tree plantation, moderate any adverse social and environmental impact and elicit necessary community participation in the programme. For this purpose, the PIU will organise a formal 'Transect Walk'.

Moreover, the construction of road works under PMGSY are as per the technical specifications and geometric design standards given in the Ministry of Rural Development Specifications for Rural Roads, Rural Roads Manual of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) (IRC:

SP:20),IRC:SP:72 and also, where required, the Hill Road Manual (IRC: SP:48) and other IRC Codes/ Guidelines.

The role of Hon’ble Members of Parliament/ public representatives, State Technical Agencies (STAs) and State-Level Standing Committees (SLSCs) are already defined in PMGSY-IV guidelines issued during December, 2024. Advisories have been issued to the States/ UTs to ensure that the guidelines are followed in letter and spirit while submitting PMGSY IV proposals to the Central Government for sanction.

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