Out of the total 3.3 million km road network in India, approximately 80 % are in rural areas.
Upgradation of about 3,70,000 km Rural Roads is estimated at a cost of Rs.53, 000 Crore (one crore = 10 million). Cost of New Connectivity is estimated at Rs. 79,000 crore.

The total envisaged cost of the project is about Rs.1,32,000 crore.

As part of the Indian Government’s commitment to develop rural
connectivity, the massive Prime Minister’s Grameena Sadak Yojana
(Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Programme) was launched on
25th December, 2000 to provide all-weather access to unconnected
habitations.

The PMGSY is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme with 50% of the Cess on High Speed Diesel (HSD) earmarked for this Programme.

For more information on PMGSY go to http://pmgsy.nic.in/
The National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA) was set-up to provide Operational and Management support to PMGSY.
The NRRDA provides support inter alia, on the following:
i. Designs & Specifications and Cost norms.
ii. Technical Agencies
iii. District Rural Roads Plans and Core Network.
iv. Scrutiny of Project Proposals
v. Quality Monitoring
vi. Monitoring of progress, including online monitoring
It also undertakes R&D, Human Resource Development and Communication programmes for the PMGSY.

For more information on NRRDA go to: http://pmgsy.nic.in/nrrda.asp


Combined with other rural infrastructure, e-governance, electrification
and telecommunication programmes, ITS opportunities for rural
roads in India has great potential.

Some statistics:

Under the 2005-06 budget

• Rs 450 crores special package has been set aside for the North
Eastern region

• Rural infrastructure development fund: A corpus of Rs 8000 crores in
2005-06


• Telecommunications: A provision of Rs.1,200 crore for Universal Service Obligation (USO) Fund in 2005-06; 1,687 subdivisions to get support for rural household telephones; BSNL to provide public telephones in the next three years to the remaining 66,822 revenue villages.

• Rural Electrification: To cover 1.25 lakh villages in five years; focus to be on deficient States; creation of a rural electricity distribution backbone envisaged, with a 33/11 KV substation in each block and at least one distribution transformer in each village; Rs.1,100 crore provided in 2005-06.

A Case Study