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Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Minister for Rural Development released two books titled "Specifications for Rural Roads" and "Standard Data Book for Rural Roads". These books have been published by the Indian Roads Congress. Dr. Singh released these books in the National Conference of Project Directors of DRDAs in Vigyan Bhawan, here today in the presence of Shri B.N. Yugandhar, Member of the Planning Commission and Shri M. Shankar, Secretary, Rural Development.
The ‘Specifications for Rural Roads’ will be a priced publication of IRC. All the road works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) are to be executed on the basis of these specifications, which would form a part of the contract for every work. The Standard Data Book will be used by State Governments to generate State Schedule of Rates for Rural Roads and all the tenders under the programme are to be invited on the basis of these rates. As a result, the estimation and contracting is likely to be more efficient and economical and the rural roads construction sector will be put on a firm technical and management footing.
PMGSY aims at providing connectivity to every Habitation that has population more than 500 (250 in case of hill States, Desert areas and Tribal areas) through good all weather roads. Rural Roads being a State subject, the implementation of the programme is the responsibility of the State Governments. The Central intervention through PMGSY has focussed on Standardisation of practices at a high level and quality of road work is the hallmark of this ambitious national programme. Based on the experiences of rural road construction in the past, as a first step of this intervention a Rural Roads Manual was published by the Indian Roads Congress as a special publication (IRC:SP:20-2002). Thereafter a Standard Bidding Document (SBD) for tendering of works under PMGSY was developed to standardise the procedure of tendering road works under the programme and to bring about greater transparency in the process.
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