Context:

Recently, The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-IV  

About PM Gram Sadak Yojana-IV 

• The fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Phase IV(PMGSY-IV) will implement the construction of 62,500 km of new roads for the financial years 2024-25 to 2028-29.
• PMGSY-IV provides all-weather connectivity to 25,000 villages. The scheme covers unconnected habitations of population size: -
• 500+ in plains. 
• 250+ in Northeast & Hill States/UTs, special category areas (Tribal Schedule V, Aspirational Districts/Blocks, Desert areas). 
• 100+ in Left Wing Extremism affected districts, as per Census 2011. 
• The proposal was announced in Budget 2024-25 and will have a total outlay of 70,125 crore rupees, with the centre and state government share ratio of 70:30.
• PMGSY-IV will incorporate international benchmarks for road construction such as cold mix technology and waste plastic, panelled cement concrete, cell-filled concrete, and the use of other wastes such as fly ash and steel slag.

About Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

• PMGSY is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2000 by the Union Ministry of Rural Development to provide connectivity to unconnected Habitations, by way of a single all-weather road, as part of a poverty reduction strategy.
• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-I (PMGSY-I) was launched as a one-time special intervention to provide rural connectivity, , to the eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size as per Census 2001.
• PMGSY–II was launched in 2013 for the upgradation of selected Through Routes and Major Rural Links (MRLs) with a target to upgrade 50,000 Km in various States and Union Territories.
• PMGSY-III was launched in 2019 for consolidation of 1,25,000 Km Through Routes and Major Rural Links connecting habitations, inter-alia, to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals. The Timeline for completion of PMGSY-III is till March, 2025.
• Till August 2024, a total of 766,058 Km Road has been completed out of 831,582 Km of sanctioned roads across all PMGSY schemes.

Three-Tiered Quality Control Mechanism under PMGSY:

First Tier (Process Control by PIUs):

• Programme Implementation Units (PIUs) conduct mandatory tests on materials and workmanship at the field laboratory level to ensure quality during the construction phase.
• Second Tier (State Level Monitoring): State Quality Monitors (SQMs) carry out independent quality monitoring at the state level.
• Third Tier (National Level Monitoring): National Quality Monitors (NQMs) are deployed by the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) for random inspections of roads and bridges.