SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir incurred Rs 5,348.54 crore, including the Union Territory’s share, on rural road works under various verticals of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during the five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26, while Ladakh spent Rs 466.39 crore, according to the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
The figures were provided by Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1579, answered on Tuesday.
For Jammu and Kashmir, the expenditure stood at Rs 1,485.28 crore in 2021-22, Rs 1,114.78 crore in 2022-23, Rs 1,256.96 crore in 2023-24, Rs 1,070.65 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 420.50 crore in 2025-26. The corresponding figures for Ladakh were Rs 109.66 crore, Rs 107.81 crore, Rs 30.44 crore, Rs 111.33 crore and Rs 107.15 crore.
The Union Government had indicated allocations of Rs 6,698 crore for Jammu and Kashmir over the five-year period, against releases of Rs 4,639.63 crore. For Ladakh, the indicative allocation was Rs 640 crore, while Rs 478.23 crore was released.
Nationally, 1,31,589 km of road length, comprising 18,814 roads and 5,110 bridges, was completed under various PMGSY verticals during the five years at an expenditure of Rs 1,05,948 crore, including State shares, the Ministry said. The figures show that Jammu and Kashmir accounted for about 5.0 per cent of the total expenditure recorded nationally, while Ladakh’s share was about 0.4 per cent.
Under PMGSY-I, 1,62,845 of the 1,63,275 sanctioned habitations across the country—99.7 per cent—had been provided all-weather road connectivity, leaving 401 habitations at various stages of execution.
The Ministry said PMGSY-IV, launched in September 2024, aims to connect about 25,000 previously unconnected habitations. In Special Category States and areas, including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the scheme covers habitations with a population of 250 or more, based on the 2011 Census, subject to the scheme’s other eligibility criteria.
Across the country, States and Union Territories have surveyed 41,200 habitations under PMGSY-IV. So far, 6,752 road works covering 19,643 km and 94 bridges have been sanctioned, which are expected to provide connectivity to 7,455 habitations.
The Ministry said responsibility for ensuring the quality and maintenance of PMGSY roads rests with the respective State and UT governments. It added that the Department of Rural Development conducts quality assessments through National Quality Monitors, while road and bridge maintenance is monitored through compulsory routine inspections on the e-MARG digital platform.
All PMGSY works are covered by an initial five-year maintenance contract during the Defect Liability Period, followed by zonal maintenance contracts for another five years after the expiry of that period.
The Ministry also said that project implementation is monitored in real time through the Online Management, Monitoring and Accounting System, while a Project Management Information System has been developed for PMGSY-III works. GPS-enabled vehicle tracking has been made mandatory for machinery and equipment used in PMGSY works.
It said e-MARG has been implemented across all States and UTs to monitor maintenance during the five-year Defect Liability Period, with contractor payments linked to road condition and compliance with prescribed performance standards.
As part of efforts to improve accountability, the Ministry said every PMGSY road will be assigned a unique geo-spatial identity linked to a QR code. The public will be able to use the QR code to access road details and lodge complaints through the Meri Sadak mobile application and the CPGRAMS portal.
