Promising enhanced financial allocation, the Union Rural Development Ministry is aiming at achieving complete rural connectivity through all-weather roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) by 2019, three years ahead of its initial target of 2022.
The Government has decided to increase the annual allocation during year 2015-16 by `5,000 crore to 15,100 crore to the States for 2015-16. It was `9,960 crore in 2014-15, said Union Minister for Rural Development Birender Singh. The Ministry claims that the Central release to the States for PMGSY works was `5,196 crore in 2013-14 and `4,313 crore in 2012-13.
Singh said that 29,000 new habitations will be connected between 2015 and 2017 as against 13,500 between 2012 and 2014.
Under PMGSY-I, 1,78,184 unconnected habitations were identified. However, in last fifteen years, 1,12,550 habitations (63 per cent) have been connected with PMGSY roads. The States are yet to complete the roads to provide connectivity to about 37 per cent of habitations as per the mandate of the Scheme, the Minister said in a statement issued here by the RD Ministry.
“Higher allocation of funds will ensure that scheme targets are achieved by March, 2019 much before the stipulated time of 2022. This decision will give a big boost for public investment in the rural sector particularly rural infrastructure,” he added.
The Ministry is also considering to financially incentivise the States who achieve the targets allocated to them, within the prescribed time frame. “This incentive could be used for periodic maintenance expenditure by the States. Our Ministry is also working in collaboration with the States for preparing a time bound action plan to cover the outstanding liabilities for
sanctioned works so as to meet the liabilities of all sanctioned works within 2016-17,” said Singh.
He said that consequent to higher devolution of funds to the States as per the recommendations of 14th Finance Commission, the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Rationalisation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes was constituted and it has submitted its Report wherein it has recommended that fund sharing pattern of PMGSY will be in the ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and States for all States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States for which it will be 90:10.
He said, the Sub-Group has also recommended that this modified sharing pattern should be effective from Financial Year 2015-16 onwards. The above recommendation of the Sub-Group on modified sharing pattern has been accepted and all ongoing as well as outstanding works would be covered under this sharing pattern, the statement said.