Improving Road Connectivity in Rural India: A Community-Based Approach
Report Overview:
- The absence of roads is perhaps the most glaring infrastructural gap in rural India
- Large parts of the Indian countryside remain unconnected, which is an adverse effect on health, education, agriculture and other forms of livelihood in rural India.
- The National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA) was set up under PradhanMantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) to prepare guidelines and build capacity of State level agencies.
- Yet, the absence of funds, poor maintenance and lack of sustainability remain concerns
- For these reasons, a greater role to local communities in the process of road development becomes important, especially to ensure that the roads constructed are also maintained well to last longer.