Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed gratitude to Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for extending the timeline of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-I) for the union territory until March 2027. This extension aims to support the completion of crucial rural road projects in Jammu & Kashmir. The Centre had allocated a significant Rs 4,224.23 crore package for 316 road projects in the region under PMGSY for the fiscal year 2025-2026, marking the largest package ever for the union territory under this national rural road development scheme.
Under the PMGSY-IV initiative, even rural habitations with as few as 250 residents will receive road connectivity through a total length of 1,781.33 km. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was initiated by the Government of India to provide connectivity to previously unconnected habitations as part of an anti-poverty strategy. The government aims to establish high technical and management standards uniformly and facilitate policy development and planning at the state level to ensure sustainable management of the rural road network.
The latest data from state governments, part of a survey to identify Core Network under the PMGSY program, indicates that approximately 1.67 lakh unconnected habitations are eligible for coverage. This involves constructing about 3.71 lakh km of new roads for connectivity and upgrading 3.68 lakh km of existing roads. The primary goal of this national program is to plan, finance, build, and maintain rural roads across the country, providing all-weather roads with necessary structures for year-round operability to eligible unconnected habitations in rural areas.
