After missing the original target to link 1.70 lakh rural habitations with all weather roads in 2007, the Centre, in a move to give a boost to government spending to spur economic activities, will spend `30,000 crore in the current financial year to speed up road constructions under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY).
In a bid to cover more rural habitations, the ministry of rural development will move a proposal to the Cabinet to lower population norms from the current 500 for general areas to 250, which in the cases of tribal, Naxal-affected areas and border blocks would be made 100 from the current 250. The government will also unveil PMGSY 2.0 with an overall budget of `50,000 crore to be shared between the Centre and states equally to undertake upgradation of rural roads, which will immediately help states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana.
However, the Centre admitted that it has been so far been able to cover only 60 per cent of the target, which was set to be completed by 2007, to connect rural habitations with all weather roads. “In all 1.70 lakh habitations had to be connected as per the original mission of PMGSY decided in 2000, but so far one lakh of them have been connected. With more habitations included now after the liberal norms, we hope to connect all rural habitations with roads by 2017,” said Union minister of rural development Jairam Ramesh.