PM Modi reviews progress of rural development schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed on the progress of rural development schemes mainly the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, (PMGSY) and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY), by the NITI Aayog.

An average of 91 kilometers of rural roads have been built daily in the Financial Year 2015-16, resulting in a total addition of 30,500 km of rural road length. 6500 habitations have been connected in this Financial Year, as a result.

The Prime Minister was informed of the use of innovative best practices in PMGSY, to further speed up the rural road construction progress.

These include the use of GIS and Space Imagery for planning and monitoring; efficient fund flow by minimizing the number of layers; and citizen grievance redressal through the app - "Meri Sadak."

The Prime Minister directed concerned officials to put in place an effective mechanism for stringent quality monitoring of the roads being built under the scheme.

He said quality checks should be made at the material procurement stage, the construction stage, as well as the maintenance stage.

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana targets poverty alleviation through sustainable livelihoods. The Prime Minister was informed that 3 crore households have so far been linked to Self Help Groups (SHGs).

The Prime Minister asked for due monitoring of the loans being given to SHGs, using Aadhaar. He emphasized that loans must reach the intended beneficiaries, for this scheme to be successful.