The two-day Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Chintan Shivir was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 5–6 October 2026, bringing together senior officers and representatives from States/UTs, policymakers, technical experts, Knowledge partners and other stakeholders to deliberate upon future action taken for strengthening rural road connectivity through PMGSY.

Over the past 25 years, PMGSY has emerged as a transformative programme for rural connectivity, with around 8 lakh km of rural roads constructed under different phases of the programme. Under PMGSY-IV, with an outlay of ₹70,125 crore, around 62,500 km of all-weather roads are targeted to provide connectivity to 25,000 eligible unconnected habitations.

Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of  India addressed the Chintan Shivir for greater focus on new technologies and connectivity to each eligible habitation. Union Minsiter has emphasised the importance of a pakka road which not only gives connectivity but also opens the doors of many opportunities. He also emphasized greater use of digital technologies, GPS-based monitoring and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for field verification, monitoring and timely decision-making. He has also pressed upon overcoming of challenges faced during implementation using guidnace of doamin experts and policy makers. 

Addressing the Chintan Shivir, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Rural Development emphasized the need for timely completion of ongoing works, expeditious preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and tendering, improved construction quality, preventive maintenance and stronger accountability at all levels.

Shri Kamlesh Paswan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Rural Development highlighted the need for close monitoring of pending and delayed works, particularly in difficult and North-Eastern areas. He emphasized stronger contractor responsibility during the stipulated five-year maintenance period, examination of genuine connectivity gaps under PMGSY-IV and improved coordination among stakeholders for timely resolution of implementation constraints. He also urged state to timely complet works and adopt green technologies in construction of PMGSY works.

Shri Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Rural Development, apprised the gathering of the new initiatives incorporated under PMGSY to further support the existing system and strengthen it through a transparent mechanism. He also urged implementing States/UTs to quickly adopt these tools and maximise the use of new technology, which will improve the quality of construction and assist the Ministry in analysing and resolving issues.

Secreatary, Rural Development stressed upon timely completion of set targets to deliver all weatehr roads. Maintenance and quality are non-negotiable aspects under the scheme. He urged all seniors represenattives from state to work in mission mode with proper action plan for better delivery. He has mentioend about the milestones achieved under the scheme however, pushed for next milestones.

The Secretary, Rural Development, extended his warm greetings and congratulations to all participants who have joined the Chintan Shivir from across the country. He appreciated their presence and active participation in this important forum and acknowledged their valuable role in the implementation of this significant scheme. He emphasised that the collective experience, commitment and contributions of all stakeholders would be instrumental in further strengthening the scheme and achieving its objectives.

Expert sessions/deliberations on future-ready rural roads

1.         The Chintan Shivir also featured expert discussions from CRRI. NDMA,CDRI on disaster- and climate-resilient rural roads, emerging construction technologies, sustainable materials and AI-enabled digital monitoring systems. The deliberations focused on identifying proven practices and innovative solutions that can be scaled up for field-level implementation across the country.

2.         Learning from the rich field experience of an expert officer from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), who shared valuable insights into constructing roads in some of the country’s most challenging and difficult terrains. The innovative practices, technical solutions and lessons from BRO’s experience can offer important learnings for PMGSY, particularly for road construction in hilly, remote and border areas.

Key takeaways from delibeartions and expert discussion emerging from the Chintan Shivir

• Promoting climate-resilient, sustainable and locally appropriate designs, materials and construction technologies.
• Leveraging OMMAS, GPS-VTS, AI, geo-tagged evidence and data analytics for transparent, outcome-based monitoring and maintenance.
• Strengthening accountability and coordination among the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) and States/UTs.
• Timely completion of ongoing works and accelerated progress in lagging States/UTs.
• Expeditious preparation and processing of PMGSY-IV DPRs, including associated bridge DPRs, and addressing eligible connectivity gaps.
• Strengthening the sanction-to-tender-to-award cycle through better pre-tender preparedness and timely clearances.
• Placing quality assurance, preventive maintenance and field verification at the core of implementation.

 

The Chintan Shivir reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to building quality, sustainable, climate-resilient and technology-enabled rural road infrastructure that delivers lasting socio-economic benefits to rural communities.

Rural roads are not merely infrastructure for transportation; they are vital links connecting farmers to markets, children to educational institutions, patients to healthcare services and rural families to new opportunities.

Strengthening rural connectivity is therefore an important pathway towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat, with a strong, prosperous and well-connected rural India at its foundation.

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PU

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