In a push for rural development, the govt has approved a budgetary sanction of over Rs 816 crore to carry out the repair and construction of new roads in rural areas in the state.
Of the total approved budget, Rs 489 crore has been granted by the Centre, while the state govt has made a matching budgetary allocation of over Rs 327 crore, senior officials in the rural development department said.
The project will be taken up under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which was launched in 2000 to provide all-weather access to eligible unconnected habitations in rural areas with a population of 500 persons and above.The fresh allocation potentially underlines the ruling BJP’s sharpening focus on villages to bolster its presence in the rural areas of the state. The development also attains significance with UP being the biggest gainer under the scheme for the past four years.
In the ongoing 2024-25 fiscal year, out of 8,695 km of roads constructed under the scheme nationally, UP accounted for 2,094 km, which was the highest among all states. The other states that have benefited from the scheme include Rajasthan (851 km), Bihar (773 km), Maharashtra (685 km), Jammu and Kashmir (574 km), Jharkhand (514 km), Himachal Pradesh (446 km), and Odisha (427 km).
Before that, in 2023-24, UP got 6,799 km of rural roads, 5,011 km in 2022-23, and 3,368 km in 2021-22, rural development department records show. The fresh allocation is the second tranche of the approved budget for the purpose, in what could boost the road network in the rural precincts of UP.
In a communique sent to the UP Rural Road Development Agency (UPRRDA) recently, the rural development department said that the road development project may only be initiated after due technical verifications and after acquiring undisputed land. The state govt has also asked the agency to ensure that a completion certificate is issued after the project is completed.
In a communique sent to the UP Rural Road Development Agency (UPRRDA) recently, that the road development project may only be initiated after due technical verifications and after acquiring undisputed land. The state govt has asked the agency to ensure that a completion certificate is issued after the project is completed.
