BHUBANESWAR:Odisha has received highest allocation of funds among States from the Centre under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) for 2018-19.Setting a target to provide all-weather connectivity to 2500 habitations by constructing 8,000 km of rural roads, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has sanctioned Rs 2,500 crore for the State for the current fiscal.
Indicating allocation of Rs 15,261 crore for 29 states, the Ministry has sanctioned highest amount for Odisha which topped the list by exceeding its target in 2017-18. The State achieved a major milestone by constructing 7115.77 km rural roads against an annual target of 7,000 km, the highest among all the States in the country, by March end.
In 2016-17, Odisha was adjudged the second best performer in the country after Bihar and received an incentive of Rs 175.67 crore from MoRD for constructing 5796.93 km roads. Bihar had topped the list by constructing 6601.62 km roads.
Since PMGSY is being implemented with fund support from both the Central and State governments on 60:40 basis, the State Government has to arrange Rs 1,666.67 crore as its share, taking the total budgetary support to the programme to Rs 4,166.67 crore, official sources said.
“The cumulative achievement of the State under the flagship rural infrastructure programme is 46,972.82 km of road which has been constructed at an expenditure of Rs 19,174.48 crore by March 31,” sources in Rural Development Department said.
However, the State is yet to catch up with other states in construction of roads using green technology. The State constructed 863.76 km of roads connecting 1,759 habitations by using green technology against a target of 1,575 km.
Odisha has so far provided new connectivity to 19,851 habitations and upgraded the existing roads to all-weather connectivity benefiting 5,550 habitations since the inception of infrastructure programme in 2000-01. As many as 8,132 habitations of the State are yet to be covered under the programme.