States asked to fully utilise PMGSY funds

Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh met secretaries of 15 states, which for the last six years failed to claim their total allotted funds under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

The performance of Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttaranchal are below par in the current fiscal. Instructions were issued to state secretaries to ensure full utilisation of allocated funds and also to make further claims by December this year. They have also been asked to finalise the core network and district rural road plan on a priority basis. Singh also reviewed the status of roads constructed under PMGSY and assured north-east states of assistance, provided they used their fund allotments properly.