Union Budget 2017-18: Focus on rural roads, housing and electrification

The finance minister Jaitley said the pace of construction of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, (PMGSY) roads has accelerated to reach 133 km roads per day in 2016-17, as against an average of 73 km during the period 2011-14.
 
He said the government is committed to complete the current target under PMGSY by 2019 and a sum of Rs19,000 crore has been provided in 2017-18 for this scheme.

One crore houses would be completed by 2019 for the houseless and those living in kutcha houses as the government has stepped up the allocation for Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin from Rs15,000 crore in budget estimates 2016-17 to Rs23,000 crore in 2017-18.

Jaitley expressed the hope that 100 per cent village electrification would be achieved by May 1, 2018 and added that an increased allocation of Rs4,814 crore has been proposed under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana in 2017-18.

The government has proposed to increase the allocations for Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission - for promotion of skill development and livelihood opportunities for people in rural areas to Rs4,500 crore in 2017-18.

The allocation for prime minister's employment generation programme and credit support schemes has been increased more than 3 times.

The finance minister informed the members that the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) has made tremendous progress in promoting safe sanitation and ending open defecation.

Sanitation coverage in rural India has gone up from 42 per cent in October 2014 to about 60 percent and such villages are now being given priority for piped water supply.

He said, for imparting new skills to the people in the rural areas, mason training will be provided to 5 lakh persons by 2022, with an immediate target of training at least 20,000 persons by 2017-18.