Massive boost under PMGSY-IV as Centre sanctions 10,000 km rural roads for these six states, UT – Check details

The Centre has sanctioned more than 10,000 kilometres of rural road projects under Phase IV of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, marking a major push to improve last-mile connectivity in some of India’s most geographically challenging regions. The approved projects will cover Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, and are expected to bring all-weather road access to thousands of previously isolated habitations. Once these newly approved roads are built, life in remote villages is expected to change in very real ways from quicker trips to hospitals and schools to easier access to markets and jobs.

Connectivity boost for over 3,200 remote habitations

The ministry said the project will directly benefit around 3,270 habitations that currently struggle with poor or unreliable road access. Many of these villages are tucked away in hills, thick forests or areas that face extreme weather, where tough terrain has made everyday travel slow, difficult and often unreliable.

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Better roads could truly turn things around. What now takes hours could take minutes, cutting travel time and expenses and making everyday life far less tiring for rural families.

What PMGSY-IV aims to achieve?

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase IV focuses on providing all-weather road connectivity to 25,000 rural habitations that are still cut off from the main road network. Under the scheme, villages with a population of 500 or more in the plains, 250 or more in the North-East, hill states and Union Territories, and even smaller populations in Left Wing Extremism-affected and special category areas are eligible, based on Census 2011 data.

The programme targets the construction of 62,500 km of all-weather rural roads between FY 2024-25 and FY 2028-29. Wherever needed, bridges and cross-drainage structures will also be built to ensure year-round connectivity, even during the monsoon.

Cabinet approval and funding

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval to PMGSY Phase IV in September 2024. The scheme carries a total budget of Rs 70,125 crore, with the Centre putting in Rs 49,087.50 crore and the states contributing Rs 21,037.50 crore.

A strong track record

Since its inception, PMGSY has evolved into one of the largest rural road programmes anywhere in the world. That’s close to 95 per cent physical progress - a clear sign of the programme’s scale, steady execution and lasting impact on rural India.

Government officials said the experience and institutional capacity built during earlier phases would help ensure timely completion of PMGSY-IV projects, even in difficult terrain.