BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has extended six major rural road and connectivity programmes under the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana (MMSY) framework for four to five years, committing a combined outlay of Rs 29,627.55 crore to strengthen connectivity across remote, tribal, hilly and economically-underserved regions.
The programme, covering the period from 2026-27, will target unconnected habitations, missing bridge links, roads transferred to the Rural Development department, and the widening and upgrading of existing rural roads.
The largest allocation of Rs 11,800 crore has been earmarked for the Setu Bandhan Yojana (SBY) for 2026-27 to 2030-31. The scheme will bridge missing links on Rural Development roads and important panchayat roads. Given the state’s extensive network of rivers, streams, drainage channels and tidal waterways, the government plans to improve all-weather bridge connectivity to reduce monsoon isolation of rural habitations.
The MMSY-Improvement of Existing RD Roads has been extended until 2029-30 with an allocation of Rs 5,615 crore. The programme will focus on widening and strengthening rural roads amid rising traffic generated by industrial, mining and trading activities.
Another Rs 5,365 crore has been provided for the MMSY-Transferred Roads Improvement Programme (MMSY-TRIP). The scheme has been extended for another four years till 2029-30. Introduced in 2021-22, the programme focuses on upgrading Panchayati Raj roads subsequently transferred to the Rural Development department.
The flagship MMSY itself has received Rs 4,000 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31 to provide all-weather connectivity to rural habitations not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The government has also extended MMSY-Connectivity of Unconnected Villages in Difficult Areas (CUVDA) for five years with an estimated expenditure of Rs 1,300 crore. Around 1,150 km of new roads are proposed under the programme, alongside completion and upgradation of ongoing road and bridge projects.
Meanwhile, MMSY-Connecting Missing Link Roads has been extended until 2029-30 with an outlay of Rs 1,547.55 crore. It will focus on LWE-affected districts, remote hilly areas and inaccessible island regions, improving access to healthcare, education, markets, administrative centres and tourist destinations.
Collectively, the extended programmes are expected to cover about 90,000 km of existing roads and new roads proposed, apart from completing ongoing works. In 2025-26, around 1,796 km of roads were upgraded.
The projects will be executed through existing departmental machinery. Contracts will include five years of routine maintenance and a five-year defect liability period. Quality assurance will involve government-approved laboratories, independent state quality monitors and third-party evaluation at the end of the respective scheme periods.