Bihar to Benefit from ₹76,000 Cr Investment for 45,000 km Rural Roads
The Centre government has approved a major investment for road connectivity in Bihar. It is especially for the rural regions as a total of 45,000 kilometers of rural roads will be constructed across Bihar. It will be done under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) with an estimated cost of ₹76,000 crore.
We have covered everything about the huge investment for construction of 45,000 kilometres of rural roads in this article. You can use the following Table of Contents to navigate as per your preference:
Table of Contents
Fourth Phase of PMGSY Begins
The announcement was made during a high-level meeting at the Chief Secretariat in Patna. Union Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan was also present in the meeting where he launched the fourth phase of PMGSY. Under the fourth phase, 45,000 km of rural roads will be constructed across the state.
Kamlesh Paswan stated to the media that the central government has instructed the state government to prepare and submit detailed reports at the earliest.
Improvement in Rural Infrastructure
Both Union Minister Kamlesh Paswan and Bihar’s Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar highlighted the role of Central Government and the state government in improving the development of Bihar’s rural areas. They said that it is the combined effort of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
While existing rural roads are improving connectivity, this massive investment of ₹76,000 crores will take it even further and contribute to the overall development and urbanization.
Pending MGNREGA Dues
During the same meeting, Bihar’s Rural Development Minister raised concerns about the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The state government is waiting for ₹200 crore in unpaid wages and an additional ₹2,007 crore under the material component.
The Rural Development Minister has highlighted that the backlogs need to be cleared quickly. It affects affects lakhs of rural workers. Also, ongoing projects are getting delayed due to the dues.
Request For Increasing Wages Under MGNREGA
Shravan Kumar highlighted that the existing MGNREGA wage is ₹245 per day while private sector jobs pay ₹300 or more. Due to this, labourers are choosing them over MGNREGA. Therefore, the state has requested that the wages under MGNREGA must be similar to the local rates.
Demand for Quick Housing Allocation
In addition to roads and wages, the state government has also urged the central government for housing support. As per the official data, over 94 lakh families are homeless. Out of these, nearly 25 lakh families belong to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
Thus, the request was made to fast-track the allocation of homes. The number is expected to rise even further as the government has announced new eligibility rules. A recent updates marked that now even unmarried adults who live without their parents will be considered a family and they will get housing support. You can read the detailed eligibility criteria here.
Development Through MGNREGA
Interestingly, Bihar is using the MGNREGA scheme quite un-conventionally. The government has planned the construction of 6,800 playgrounds in the rural areas using the MGNREGA funds. They have even requested the central government to complete the necessary budgets for completing these ambitious projects. Using the MGNREGA funds for non-traditional infrastructure is commendable.
Conclusion
The ₹76,000 crore amount sanctioned under the PMGSY-IV is very essential for improving connectivity and employment opportunities in the rural areas. Also, the state government and ministers are focusing on getting the dues cleared on time so that there are no delays. All these will benefit in rural development.
Recently, it was announced that this year’s All India Athletics Meet is going to be hosted in Bihar itself for the first time ever. The event will host 250+ top players from across India and it will also be stage for National level selections. Patna’s Patliputra Sports Complex is chosen for the purpose, you can get the details here.
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