Srinagar, Jul 28 (KNO): The Government of India (GoI) on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that more than 99 per cent of eligible habitations in Jammu and Kashmir have been connected with all-weather roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), while 175 additional habitations in the Union Territory have been identified for road connectivity under PMGSY-IV.
Replying to a question raised by Malaiyarasan D, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that under PMGSY-I, 162,845 of the 1,63,275 sanctioned habitations (99.7 per cent) across the country have already been connected, while road works for the remaining 401 habitations are at different stages of execution. He said Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are among the Special Category regions covered under PMGSY-IV, under which habitations with a population of 250 or more are eligible for all-weather road connectivity.
The minister informed the House that under PMGSY-IV, the States and Union Territories have surveyed 41,200 habitations across the country. So far, 6,752 road works covering 19,643 kilometres and 94 bridges have been sanctioned, which will provide connectivity to 7,455 habitations, including 175 habitations in Jammu and Kashmir.
On funding, the reply stated that Jammu and Kashmir received an indicative allocation of ₹998 crore under PMGSY during 2025-26, against which ₹261.87 crore was released, while expenditure stood at ₹420.50 crore, including the State share. Ladakh was allocated ₹80 crore, received ₹76.25 crore, and recorded expenditure of ₹107.15 crore during the same period.
The minister said road quality is monitored through National Quality Monitors (NQMs) and the eMARG digital platform. He added that the Ministry has introduced GPS-enabled vehicle tracking, OMMAS for real-time monitoring, and QR code-based digital identities for every PMGSY road, enabling the public to lodge complaints through the Meri Sadak mobile application and the CPGRAMS portal—(KNO)