February 18th 2025.
During a session at the Assembly on Tuesday, a government minister revealed that a staggering 8,300 villages in Odisha are currently without any road connectivity. In response to a question posed by a BJP legislator, Tankadhar Tripathy, the minister for panchayati raj and drinking water, Rabi Narayan Naik, provided a written reply stating that out of the 59,971 villages in the state, only 51,671 have been provided with road connectivity through the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and other state-sponsored schemes, in a phased manner.
Naik went on to explain that the remaining 8,300 villages were not eligible to be covered under these schemes, resulting in their lack of road connectivity. However, he also disclosed that the cabinet recently approved the PMGSY-IV scheme, which aims to provide road connectivity to the unconnected villages. A survey is currently being conducted in different states to identify these villages.
The minister also mentioned that the exact number of villages and hamlets without all-weather roads can only be determined after the survey is completed. According to the data provided by Naik, Koraput district has the highest number of unconnected habitations at 1,374, followed by Rayagada and Nabarangpur.
This revelation highlights the pressing need for improved infrastructure and development in these villages. Hopefully, with the implementation of the PMGSY-IV scheme, these villages will soon have the necessary road connectivity for their residents' convenience and betterment.
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