Way for progress 

Union Ministry of Rural Development has granted Rs 4,224 crore to undertake construction activities of 316 roads in 19 districts of Jammu and Kashmir under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-I (PMGSY-4) which will be a milestone in the developmental history of the region.

While the overall ambit of this project is significant with said project having lengths cumulatively of 1781 kilometers, the ambitious and some would argue overdue project, is connecting those critical connectivity gaps while enhancing economic development with a vision of enhancing life for the rural society in one of India’s most strategically important region.

Road construction in Jammu and Kashmir is no easy task. Many rural pockets have remained stuck due to the rugged specificity of the terrain. However, as it relates to connectivity with steadfast aims of PMGSY-4 is concerned, every remote village will be connected via all-weather road and help to overcome the challenges that have been ongoing for decades and centuries.

Upon providing better accessibility, these areas will be accessible and moving part of the regional economy where farmers and craftsmen and small and micro businesses would gain better accessibility to the larger markets.

Better access means a better way of life. Farmers will be able to take their produce quickly and cheaply to the mandi, where they will leave with a good price.

During the implementation phase, it would provide a potential for workers to be employed, thereby stimulating the local labour market.

Besides this, the roads regardless, they will ease the ability to access education, health, and other services, thus easing the long arduous journeys that students in remote villages had to undertake to access schools, and the way medical emergencies could be resolved in a timely manner given this improvement to the connectivity to hospitals.

In the context of rural infrastructure improvement, there are also belated benefits as the government is addressing the grievances of past generations, while at the same, instilling an openness in the mind of the local populace towards inclusion and empowerment. This specifically indicates the Centre’s commitment that J&K should partake in the gains of work and progress at the national level.

The Government’s ongoing investment in rural J&K, including the recent release of Rs 4,224 crore under PMGSY-4, indicates the commitment toward a transformation of rural J&K- from an antiquated part of the national landscape to a centre of opportunity and growth.

These roads, when built will be the arteries of progress and agents for equitable growth, and achieving aspirations society. This is not just infrastructure for growing our country, this is where the nation is being built.

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