Despite laying a whopping 3,708 km of rural roads per year under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during last six years (up to December 2017), Odisha looks all set to miss the 2019 target of connecting all rural habitations with all=weather roads. Rather, Odisha finds itself listed in the league of States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, J&K, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh that are unlikely to meet the important PMGSY date set by the Modi Government.
Because data show that when Odisha has 22,211 eligible habitations under the PMGSY, 16,496 of them have been sanctioned for connection; and a total of around 13,422 habitations were connected till the end of December 2017. Though the balance vis-a-vis the sanctioned worked out at 3,074 habitations, actually a high of 8,789 rural habitations in Odisha remain unconnected if the total of 22,211 eligible habitations are to be taken into account.
The huge left-out habitations then, incidentally, are the highest such unconnected ones in the country. Similarly, in proportion of unconnected to connected habitations, Odisha with 40 per cent unconnected habitations comes at the 6th among the bottom-10 States led by Karnataka.
A glance at the progress of the PMGSY roads in 2017-18, the penultimate year of 2018-19 target date, reveals that Odisha at the current rate could at most connect all-weather roads to around only half of the 8,789 unconnected habitations by 2019. Because, in the fiscal year 2017-18, out of a target to connect 2,800 habitations, Odisha saw achievement of 695 habitations till December-end 2017. And, of the target of 7,000 km, the State could see completion of 3,363 km till December-end 2017.
The rate per day is at around 12 km vis-a-vis the national average of 91 km. Significant here is that in 2017-18, the State had laid a maximum length of PMGSY roads in the country, yet the target looks uncertain for the State.
The reason for falling behind the target date is a high order of rural infrastructure deficit in Odisha. But an analysis shows Bihar, which too had a higher order of rural infrastructure deficit, had a whopping 24,804 eligible habitations vis-a-vis 22,211 in Odisha to be covered under the PMGSY. Data show Bihar looks all set to accomplish the target date by 2019 as it has only 15 per cent unconnected habitations left as of December-end 2017 against 40 per cent in Odisha. Slow progress during early years of the 12th Plan has to be blamed for the delay as Bihar lay around 25,800 km in the 12th Plan vis-a-vis around 22, 250 km by Odisha.
The fallout, however, is Odisha along with 13 States are yet to make transition to the PMGSY-II. PMGSY-II which is considered game-changer for rural economy as it envisaged providing quality transport infra to facilitate rural market centres and rural hubs. These States failed to transit as they had failed to substantially award PMGSY-I work as per the PMGSY-II qualifying norm. This means the higher outlay under the PMGSY-II in the 2018-19 Budget will be of no utility for Odisha.
MIlES TO GO ON ROAD!
Odisha tops with over 8K habitations State laid 12 km a day in 2017-18. In 12 Plan State laid 10 km/day National average in 2017 — 91 km/day 40% habitations unconnected in Odisha