New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) The sustained expansion of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) road connectivity is changing the landscape of rural mobility in the hilly areas, taking all-weather connectivity to villages and habitations that were earlier difficult to access, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said on Saturday.
The road network being created under PMGSY is directly contributing to ease of living and ease of travel, while opening up new opportunities for people living in the remotest parts of the constituency, said the minister, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the highest priority to the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Parliamentary constituency over the last 12 years, resulting in sustained expansion of road connectivity across some of the most remote and difficult hilly areas of the region.
He said that Udhampur has consistently figured among the country’s top three districts in terms of PMGSY road projects, reflecting the continued priority accorded to rural connectivity in the constituency.
Dr. Singh was speaking after laying the foundation stone of 110 road projects under PMGSY-IV, Batch-I of 2026-27, covering different parts of the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda-Kishtwar region.
As per the project statement, the 110 roads together cover 598.455 km with a sanctioned cost of Rs 1,503.53 crore. The projects are spread across Kathua, Udhampur, Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts and are expected to benefit 46,972 people.
The minister said the scale of the latest PMGSY intervention demonstrates the continued commitment of the Government to taking all-weather road connectivity to the last mile and to villages and habitations located in difficult and remote hilly terrain.
He said that the new roads would further transform rural mobility and contribute significantly to ease of living and ease of travel for people living in far-flung areas.
Dr Singh further stated that the road network being created under PMGSY is directly contributing to ease of living and ease of travel, while opening up new opportunities for people living in the remotest parts of the constituency.
He said that women in the remotest villages are also experiencing the benefits of the new road connectivity, as better roads provide easier access to schools, healthcare, markets, workplaces and other essential facilities.
The expansion of the road network into previously difficult-to-reach villages, he said, is creating a new mobility network for women and families living in the hilly terrain, with direct benefits for their everyday lives.
—IANS
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