BHOPAL/In a major push for last-mile rural connectivity, Madhya Pradesh is set to become the first state in the country to provide all-weather road access to habitations with a population of 100 or more, adopting road construction standards prescribed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The initiative will be implemented through the newly launched Mukhyamantri Majra Tola Sadak Yojana (MMMTSY), under which small and previously unconnected rural habitations will be linked with roads built to PMGSY standards.
Deepak Arya, CEO of the Madhya Pradesh Rural Road Development Authority (MPRRDA), told The Sun Today that while PMGSY-IV (2024-29) provides road connectivity to villages with a population of 500 or more, the state has relaxed the norm by lowering the population threshold to 100 and the distance criterion from 500 metres to 50 metres.
He also said that the move is expected to bridge critical connectivity gaps in remote villages and improve access to essential services, markets and economic opportunities.
He added the revised parameters would enable thousands of residents in scattered settlements, hamlets and tribal habitations to benefit from all-weather road access.
Arya said the initiative was launched under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.
He said that, under the guidance of Deepali Rastogi, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Panchayat and Rural Development, eligible habitations were identified through digital mapping and surveys carried out with the support of MPSeDC.
An MPRRDA official said the initiative aims to promote inclusive infrastructure development and balanced regional growth, with improved connectivity expected to enhance access to education, healthcare, markets and government services in rural areas.
CEO Arya further said that Madhya Pradesh has consistently remained among the leading states in the implementation of PMGSY. Since the launch of the flagship rural roads programme in 2000, the state has developed and upgraded nearly one lakh kilometres of rural roads under various phases of the scheme, creating one of the largest rural road networks in the country.
The CEO shared that in a parallel effort to strengthen rural infrastructure, the state government has also launched a dedicated programme for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of ageing and damaged bridges located on PMGSY and departmental roads. The initiative seeks to restore structurally vulnerable bridges that are no longer capable of handling current traffic volumes and transportation demands, he said.