Creating 1.0 Million Rural jobs - Maintaining rural roads through local community participation

Worldwide, community contracting has been used as a method of engagement of communities in the planning, implementation and monitoring of minor infrastructure works for the benefit of the community or by government for the improvement and maintenance of infrastructure. In India, out of a total nationwide road network of almost 35 Lac (3.5 million) km of rural roads (5.61 Lac km Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Roads + 9.0 Lac km Non PMGSY Core Roads + 20.0 Lac km Non Core Roads) offer a huge employment potential for maintenance of these rural assets through labour intensive community contracting. As a Thumb Rule, using the “Length-man System” of routine road maintenance, one person living the road side can effectively carryout 1.0 km of routine road maintenance round the year. Therefore, employment for about 35 Lac (3.5 million) rural population mostly women could be created through this approach. Even if one considers PMGSY + Core Roads (14.2 Lac km), about 15 Lac people could easily be employed annually on permanent basis through performance based road maintenance contracts to be undertaken by the communities. In most developing countries, large and medium sized contractors are generally not keen to undertake small rural roads maintenance works in remote areas. As a result of, the developing countries explored alternative options by engaging the local communities/Self Help Groups living along the road sides for routine maintenance of rural roads as contractors. In various pilots in many countries, the local communities performed very well with sense of increased ownership and responsibility for maintaining their rural road assets.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1790571
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from the publisher.
• Authors:
  • Gupta, Mukesh C
• Publication Date: 2019-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 13-27
• Serial:
  • Indian Highways
  • Volume: 47
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Indian Roads Congress
  • ISSN: 0376-7256

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Communities; Contracting; Developing countries; Employment; Highway maintenance; Jobs; Pilot studies; Public participation; Rural highways
• Geographic Terms: India
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01693098
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 19 2019 11:53AM