Himachal Pradesh has received approval for the development of 3,123 kilometers of rural roads and 43 bridges, amounting to a total expenditure of ₹3,345.81 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III, as announced by Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Tuesday.
The minister highlighted that in the financial year 2024-25, the spending under PMGSY reached ₹905 crore, surpassing the allocated budget of ₹650 crore. Consequently, the state government has officially requested the Central Government to increase the allocation to ₹1,300 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26, according to a statement released.
He also mentioned that the PWD department is actively engaged in PMGSY-IV, having completed the mapping of 1,560 habitations, of which 1,115 were deemed eligible by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). This initiative aims to connect habitations with populations exceeding 500 in plain areas and 250 in hilly regions.
Following a meeting with the Union Minister for Rural Development on April 30, a high-level delegation from the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) visited Shimla on May 2 and 3, where they held comprehensive discussions with PWD officials and assured that the 247 habitations previously rejected would be re-evaluated on an individual basis after thorough verification.
The state has indicated that land is available for 151 of these 247 habitations and has requested prompt approval for these projects. Upon completion of the approval process, the State anticipates preparing around 250 Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) covering 1,400 kilometers under PMGSY-IV.
