Rural Road Connectivity through PMGSY and its Impact: A case Study

Abstract

Inclusive growth is the most talked about issue in India. Rural road connectivity is a very important component of inclusive growth and plays an important role in promoting access to social, physical and financial services. In this context The Government of India had launched the PMGSY on 25 December, 2000. It is a nationwide programme under the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India. The object of PMGSY was to provide basic access to all the eligible habitations by way of all-weather roads. The purpose of this study is to analyses the impact of rural road connectivity in Gangapur city block of Sawaimadhopur District (Rajasthan). In this block, 127.74 km. of road-work and bridge construction were completed during the period of 2000-01 to 2012-13. For this road-work, total expenditure of ₹ 248.675 million, which is 75.42 % of the total sanctioned amount, was made. Now the time has come to develop a new approach called “upgradation planning of rural roads” in order to connect all the villages to fulfill the basic needs. Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) are very useful in development of efficient planning of roads in rural areas. It has a positive impact on rural development in Gangapur city block. Of course, certain changes are still required in government plans and programmes to fulfill the objective.