New Delhi, March 20: The Ministry of Rural Development launched Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) as a one-time special intervention to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size 250 and above, in case of North Eastern States as per 2001 Census.
) in the core network for uplifting the socio-economic condition of the rural population including those in Meghalaya and Maharashtra. Relaxation has been provided to the Tribal (Scheduled V) areas and Selected Tribal and Backward Districts (as identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs and NITI Aayog) and unconnected habitations in these areas with a population of 250 persons and above in the Core Network as per Census 2001 are eligible for connectivity under the scheme.
PMGSY is not an individual/community centric scheme. The roads constructed under PMGSY cater to all strata of the society including dispersed habitations meaning a cluster of population living in an area, the location of which does not change over time. Nevertheless, Scheduled Tribes areas have got specific focus in the scheme by giving special dispensation.
Under PMGSY Parliamentary Constituency wise data is not maintained. The details of PMGSY achievements in Meghalaya, Maharashtra and districts of Hingoli, Nanded and Yavatmal since inception, in Meghalaya there are 602 villages to be connected out of which 489 villages are connected with the PMGSY Road.
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) supplements the efforts of the State Government and line Ministries of Central Government to provide connectivity in NER including providing road accessibility to remote areas which helps facilitate the tribal people residing in small and remote villages.
Total length of roads sanctioned under the main Schemes of MDoNER namely – North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS) and North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) implemented either directly or through North Eastern Council (NEC), during the last 3 years in the State of Meghalaya is 169.51 km.
Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs has also undertaken 992 projects in NER, including Meghalaya, under “Road & Bridges” sector, from 2014-15 onwards.
