The Ministry of Rural Development has allocated ₹18,907 crore for the construction of 26,474 kilometres of rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) during FY 2026-27. Secretary of Rural Development Shri Rohit Kansal chaired a high-level review meeting with senior officials from 12 states including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Telangana to assess state-wise physical and financial progress.
The review focused on achieving saturation of rural connectivity in left-out areas, with specific emphasis on expediting completion of all remaining unconnected habitations under PMGSY-I and PM-JANMAN schemes, particularly targeting Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) habitations. States were directed to fast-track preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), resolve execution bottlenecks, and ensure timely completion of pending connectivity projects. For Left Wing Extremism affected districts, states were instructed to maintain close coordination with implementing agencies to ensure timely completion of all sanctioned works due to the strategic importance of this infrastructure.
Quality monitoring and digital governance formed a major focus area, with the Secretary stressing strict adherence to quality standards and effective maintenance mechanisms for durable rural connectivity. States were urged to strengthen field-level inspections and enhance quality monitoring systems throughout project execution. The meeting emphasized universal deployment of the e-MARG (Electronic Maintenance of Rural Roads under PMGSY) platform to enable real-time monitoring of maintenance activities, performance assessment, and payment tracking, which is expected to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in rural road maintenance.
Concluding the review, the Secretary issued state-specific directions for addressing implementation bottlenecks, fast-tracking land acquisition and forest clearance proposals, ensuring timely compliance with project milestones, and strengthening coordination among State Governments, the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) and the Ministry of Rural Development. The participating states presented targeted action plans and committed to completing all pending works and annual targets within prescribed timelines.