NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Rural Development has doubled the ceiling amount from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 for inauguration and foundation of projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).The move is aimed at facilitating constructions of roads at a greater pace to connect all habitations at the earliest. As of now, around 8000 habitations are yet to be connected and this would require the construction of around 51,000 kilometres of road.
“During the previous NDA government’s tenure, building of roads and connecting inhabitations was done at a brisk pace. However, there was some backlog and by increasing the ceiling amount, this backlog can be bridged easily,” a ministry official told this newspaper.
“To ensure that the ceiling is raised effectively, we have directed states that the expense of foundation or inauguration of roads need not be mentioned in the detailed project reports,” the official said. The ministry has also given targets to states in terms of construction of roads under the PMGSY. For 2019-20, a total of 23,415 kilometres has been set as a target for all states, with Odisha getting the lion’s share of 3,000 kilometres. Among the targets allocated to various states, a total of 23 bridges will also be built under the scheme to ensure accessible habitations.