SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 2,262 habitations newly surveyed as unconnected under PMGSY IV, even though 2,132 habitations were recorded as connected earlier under PMGSY I, official annexures placed before the Lok Sabha show — a mismatch that exposes gaps in rural road coverage, eligibility thresholds and implementation timelines in the Union Territory.
The figures appear in the Ministry of Rural Development’s detailed reply on the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, which makes clear that the programme treats the habitation as the unit of intervention and not the village. The data lists 2,132 habitations in Jammu and Kashmir as connected under PMGSY I since the scheme’s inception. It shows that, following the Gram Sadak Survey carried out for PMGSY IV eligibility, the State Government has identified 2,262 habitations in Jammu and Kashmir that qualify as unconnected and therefore need new access roads under PMGSY IV.
That contrast is significant. PMGSY I was a one time special intervention (2000 to 2025) aimed at providing all-weather single roads to eligible unconnected habitations; it connected 162,774 habitations nationally, the ministry said. Yet PMGSY IV, launched on September 11, 2024, recognises new eligibility because population and settlement patterns change: it targets 25,000 habitations and 62,500 kilometres of road for the period 2024 to 2029. The central survey across States found 40,547 habitations that meet PMGSY IV eligibility criteria and await final sanctioning and construction.
The ministry told Parliament that the preliminary identification of eligible habitations under PMGSY IV is complete and that it is working with state governments, including Jammu and Kashmir, to finalise and sanction proposals as per the guidelines. PMGSY IV is explicitly designed to be inclusive: habitations now qualify at lower population thresholds in hill, North East, schedule five tribal, aspirational and left wing extremism affected areas. The programme is being implemented in convergence with targeted initiatives such as Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan for tribal habitations and Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana for Scheduled Caste dominated habitations.
The reply also outlines progress under other PMGSY verticals that affect the national picture: PMGSY II upgraded 49,082 kilometres of through routes and major rural links; the Road Connectivity project for left wing extremism affected areas has completed 9,763 kilometres out of 12,092 kilometres sanctioned; and PMGSY III has delivered about 101,900 kilometres out of 121,082 kilometres sanctioned to consolidate links to markets, schools and hospitals.
