Dharamshala (Arvind sharma ) July 30, 2025
Union Minister for Rural Development and Highways, Shri Kamlesh Paswan, informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that significant progress has been made in road connectivity projects in Himachal Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Responding to a query from Kangra Lok Sabha MP Dr. Rajiv Bhardwaj, the Minister stated that a total of 24,967.76 km of rural road projects have been sanctioned for Himachal Pradesh so far, out of which 22,380.09 km have already been completed.
At the national level, the Minister revealed that 8,38,611 km of rural roads have been approved under the PMGSY, with 7,83,304 km successfully constructed till date. He also outlined the government’s ambitious target to connect 25,000 more villages by road across the country by March 2029, as part of Phase IV of PMGSY.
To identify these villages, state governments and Union Territories have leveraged GIS (Geographic Information System) applications, the Minister added.
Shri Paswan further informed the House that under Phase IV, the Ministry has already received proposals for 300 road projects covering 1,555 km from various states and Union Territories. He emphasized that this phase prioritizes connectivity for:
Villages with more than 500 population in plain areas
Villages with more than 250 population in hilly areas
Villages with more than 100 population in Maoist-affected regions
Priority will also be given to Scheduled Tribe (ST) dominated villages, especially:
Villages with over 50% ST population in both plains and aspirational districts
Additionally, under the PM Janman Yojana, a dedicated initiative for tribal areas, the government has set a target of building 8,000 km of rural roads by 2027-28. Of this, 6,506 km have already been approved, the Minister confirmed.
The progress under PMGSY continues to play a vital role in enhancing rural infrastructure, economic opportunities, and accessibility for remote and underdeveloped regions of Himachal Pradesh and the nation at large.
