- Union Cabinet approved the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
- This is a flagship rural road programme with an estimated outlay of around Rs 70,125 crore over the next five years.
- A total of about 62,500 km of rural roads will be constructed during this phase.
- 25,000 unconnected settlements will get new connectivity and bridges on new roads will also be constructed and upgraded.
- In this programme, the Centre’s share is estimated to be around Rs 49,087.5 crore, while the state’s share is estimated at Rs 21,037.5 crore.
- The aim of this scheme is to generate 40 crore human-days of employment.
- According to the 2011 census, 25,000 unconnected habitations will be covered under the new rural road scheme.
- These include settlements with a population of more than 500 in the plains, more than 250 in the hilly, northeastern and tribal areas and more than 100 in the leftist-affected districts.
- Under various phases of the PMGSY scheme launched in the year 2000, around 800,000 km of rural roads have been constructed and 180,000 habitations have been connected.
