NEW DELHI: Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Tuesday said investment in rural infrastructure was bound to unlock the growth potential of rural India.

Tabling a statement in the Lok Sabha on the status of the implementation of the components of the Bharat Nirman programme, Mr. Singh said his Ministry was committed to the fulfilment of the goals of the scheme by achieving the targets of rural connectivity, rural housing and rural water supply.

The Ministry was implementing three of the six components — rural roads, rural housing and rural drinking water supply. While the agenda for these three was already being addressed through the various programmes of the Ministry, the special package under the Bharat Nirman had imparted a sense of urgency, making the programme time-bound, transparent and accountable, he said.

During the first two years of Bharat Nirman, 10,303 habitations were connected under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, completing construction of 32,590 km of new roads and improving 36,341 km at a cost of Rs. 4,219.98 crore during 2005-2006 and Rs. 5,376.28 crore during 2006-07. An outlay of Rs. 11,000 crore was proposed in the budget for 2007-08 for rural roads, the Minister said. The target under the scheme was to connect 66,802 habitations through 1.46 lakh km of roads, besides upgrading 1.94 lakh km of existing roads.

Mr. Singh said the Government formulated a three-tier quality monitoring system to ensure proper quality of construction.

For ensuring people's participation, information was provided on boards installed at all work sites. Moreover, for transparency in management of the programmes, an Online Management Monitoring Accounting System and Technical Audit Systems were developed.

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