4,800 km of Roads Upgraded in Maoist-Hit States

13 Feb 2025 CW Team

Over 4,800 km of roads in Maoist-affected states have been widened to 5.5-metre carriageways under the Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) since 2016, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that RCPLWEA, a vertical of PMGSY, focuses on upgrading strategically important roads identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs for security and development.

Among the states, Bihar saw the highest upgrades with 1,491 km across 94 roads, followed by Chhattisgarh with 1,107 km across 61 roads. Other states benefiting include Andhra Pradesh (26 roads), Jharkhand (29), Odisha (29), Telangana (33), and Uttar Pradesh (23).

The PMGSY scheme, launched in 2000, has undergone multiple phases—PMGSY-II (2013) targeted 50,000 km of upgradation, while PMGSY-III (2019) aims to upgrade 1,25,000 km of key rural roads connecting markets, schools, and hospitals.

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