Bhubaneswar: A two-day regional review meeting on the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has commenced in Bhubaneswar, with a strong focus on improving the quality of rural roads, ensuring the timely project completion, and strengthening monitoring mechanisms under the flagship rural connectivity programme.
The meeting, organised by the Union Ministry of Rural Development, is being hosted by the Odisha government. The discussions are aimed at reviewing the progress of rural road development projects, identifying implementation challenges, and preparing future action plans under various phases of PMGSY.
During the inaugural session, officials stressed that PMGSY is no longer focused solely on rural road construction, but is increasingly emphasising construction quality, long-term durability, and proper maintenance of road infrastructure. Special attention was also given to challenges faced by northeastern and eastern states, including difficult hilly terrain, heavy rainfall, and scattered rural settlements.
The review meeting is placing significant emphasis on completing pending works from earlier phases of PMGSY while accelerating implementation under PMGSY-IV. Officials noted that Odisha has completed 99.63% of works sanctioned under the first three phases of the scheme.
Under the first batch of PMGSY-IV, Odisha has received approval for 827 rural roads covering a total length of 1,701.8 kilometres. The projects are expected to improve rural connectivity and strengthen access to markets, healthcare, education, and essential public services in remote regions.
The meeting is also discussing measures to improve transparency, project monitoring, and accountability through digital systems and technology-driven supervision mechanisms.
On the second day, deliberations will focus on quality enhancement, adoption of digital technologies, financial management, and long-term maintenance of rural roads.
Officials said the regional review platform would help participating states exchange experiences, share best practices, and identify practical solutions for faster, more efficient, and sustainable rural road development across India.
Representatives from Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and West Bengal are participating in the regional review exercise. Senior officials from the Ministry of Rural Development, the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, and state rural development departments are also attending the meeting.
