SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been included among the Special Category States and areas eligible for priority under the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-IV), under which unconnected habitations with a population of 250 or more, based on the 2011 Census, are eligible for all-weather road connectivity, according to the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
The provision was detailed in the Union Government’s reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1597, answered on Tuesday, which concerned pending PMGSY road projects in Maharashtra’s Bhandara and Gondia districts.
The Ministry said PMGSY-IV gives priority to unconnected habitations in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and other Special Category States, as well as tribal, hilly, desert, Aspirational and other notified Special Category areas. The scheme also prioritises habitations identified under the Vibrant Village Programme-II.
Under PMGSY-IV, the population threshold for eligible habitations is 500 or more in plains, 250 or more in Special Category States and areas, including JK and Ladakh, and 100 or more in Left Wing Extremism-affected districts, including Legacy and Thrust districts identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Union Government also said that under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), eligible Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group habitations with a population of 100 or more are being provided road connectivity to improve access to essential services and socio-economic opportunities.
The Ministry said PMGSY places special emphasis on rural road connectivity in Aspirational Districts, tribal areas, LWE-affected areas and remote and difficult regions. Eligible unconnected habitations in such areas are prioritised while preparing proposals under relevant PMGSY components through the Comprehensive New Connectivity Priority List.
The Government also operates the dedicated Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) to improve connectivity in LWE-affected districts.
The reply, however, did not provide separate figures for the number of PMGSY projects sanctioned, completed or pending in Jammu and Kashmir or Ladakh. The State/UT-wise road data was not part of the specific question, which sought details of projects and funding in Bhandara and Gondia districts of Maharashtra.
The Ministry said Bhandara has had 171 roads covering 717.47 km and nine bridges sanctioned under various PMGSY verticals since inception. Of these, 710.90 km of road works and all nine bridges have been completed, leaving 6.57 km of road works to be completed.
In Gondia, 285 road works covering 1,130.24 km and 16 bridges have been sanctioned since inception, and all the sanctioned road works and bridges have been completed, according to the Union Government.
The Ministry clarified that PMGSY funds are released to States and UTs as a whole rather than district-wise. Releases are based on works in hand, progress achieved and submission of required documents, with current fund releases being made through the SNA-SPARSH system.
For Maharashtra, the Ministry reported releases of Rs 742.995 crore and expenditure of Rs 1,074.02 crore in 2022-23; releases of Rs 1,110.80 crore against expenditure of Rs 1,507.37 crore in 2023-24; releases of Rs 854.93 crore against expenditure of Rs 1,524.10 crore in 2024-25; and releases of Rs 529.73 crore against expenditure of Rs 1,402.23 crore in 2025-26. In 2026-27, up to July 23, the State had received Rs 354.16 crore and incurred expenditure of Rs 196.36 crore.
The Ministry said Maharashtra has surveyed unconnected habitations under PMGSY-IV through the Gram Sadak Survey Application, but no habitation in Bhandara or Gondia has been surveyed as unconnected. It added that no proposal for special financial assistance or a separate action plan for PMGSY projects in the two districts was pending with the Ministry.
