Syllabus
GS 2: Issues relating to development
GS 3: indigenization of technology and developing new technology
Context: Recently, the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) directed states to attach QR codes to all maintenance information display boards for roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
More on the News
- The National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) has directed to all states about QR codes.
- NRIDA comes under Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
- Under PMGSY, all roads are maintained by the contractor for five years after construction.
- This maintenance is managed through e-MARG (electronic Maintenance of Rural Roads), a mobile and web-based e-governance system used to monitor and manage rural road maintenance.
- The contractor is responsible for routine maintenance and submits bills through the e-MARG system. Field engineers conduct Routine Inspections (RI) to verify the maintenance work.
- During RI, geo-tagged photographs are taken, which are then used for Performance Evaluation (PE) based on 12 maintenance parameters, as per the NRIDA.
- Overall, maintenance falls under the responsibility of state governments, since rural roads are a state subject.
About Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
- The first phase of PMGSY was launched on December 25, 2000, by the NDA government led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to build roads and improve rural infrastructure.
- The second phase of PMGSY was launched in 2013. In 2016, a new component called the Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) was introduced to build rural roads in LWE-affected regions. The third phase began in 2019.
- In 2024, the Central government approved Phase IV of PMGSY to provide all-weather road connectivity to 25,000 unconnected habitations.
- These include habitations with a population of 500 or more in plain areas, 250 or more in northeastern and hill states/UTs and special category areas (like Tribal Schedule V regions, Aspirational Districts/Blocks, and desert areas).
- It also includes habitations with a population 100 or more in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas, as identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs in nine states, based on the 2011 Census.
- PMGSY started as a fully Centrally Sponsored Scheme but from 2015–16, the funding pattern was changed to 60:40 between the Centre and states, except for northeastern and Himalayan states which have a different ratio.
- A total of 62,500 km of roads is planned to be constructed at a cost of ₹70,125 crore between 2024–25 and 2028–29.
- Since the launch of the scheme, 8,36,850 km of road length has been sanctioned, out of which 7,81,209 km has been completed, according to the scheme dashboard.
How does the new system work
- To make it easier to share feedback, a feature has been added to the eMARG system. A QR code can be generated for each road and displayed on the maintenance information board along the roadside.
- The board can include instructions for giving feedback, written in both English and the local language.
- Citizens’ feedback photos will be linked to the corresponding Routine Inspection.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will be used to analyse these photos and suggest Performance Evaluation (PE) marks.
- All program implementing units will be responsible for reviewing these photos while assigning PE marks.
Mains Practise Question
Technological interventions like e-MARG and citizen feedback mechanisms are strengthening rural road maintenance under the PMGSY.” Discuss the significance of such reforms and the challenges in their effective implementation. (10M, 150W)