New Delhi, Aug 05 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir has achieved 99.6% coverage in providing all-weather road connectivity to eligible habitations under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-I), with eight habitations still awaiting completion, the Ministry of Rural Development informed Parliament on Tuesday.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said 2,140 habitations in J&K were sanctioned under PMGSY-I based on the 2001 Census norms, which prioritised unconnected habitations with populations of 500 or more in plain areas and 250 or more in Special Category States, desert areas, and tribal or backward districts.
Of these, 2,132 habitations have been connected as of July 31, 2025, he said, adding that the remaining eight habitations—spread across different districts—are in various stages of work and are expected to be connected under ongoing schemes.
Chouhan added that the Government launched PMGSY-IV in September 2024 to cover habitations that have become eligible due to population growth, based on the 2011 Census.
Under this phase, the eligibility criteria include habitations with populations of 500+ in plain areas, 250+ in North-East and hill states or special category areas, and 100+ in Left Wing Extremism-affected blocks.
The new phase is also being implemented in convergence with targeted initiatives to ensure road access in backward and marginalised regions, particularly in Scheduled Caste and tribal-dominated areas.
PMGSY, launched as a one-time special intervention, aims to provide all-weather road connectivity at the habitation level rather than revenue villages. Nationally, as of July 31, 2025, 1,62,818 of the 1,63,339 sanctioned habitations (99.7%) have been connected.
For J&K, the Ministry said the near-complete road network has significantly improved rural accessibility, enabling better access to markets, schools and healthcare facilities, while also supporting economic activity in remote areas—(KNO)