New Delhi, Jan 29(.) union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday tabled the Economic Survey 2025-26 in Parliament, highlighting major gains in rural connectivity, housing, drinking water coverage and tribal development driven by sustained public investment in infrastructure.
The Survey said strong infrastructure, including roads, housing, tap water connections and digital networks, has played a key role in promoting inclusion by linking communities to markets, essential services and livelihood opportunities.
Access to safe housing was also cited as a critical factor in improving living standards and enabling economic participation among poorer households.
Rural road connectivity under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has reached near-universal levels, with more than 99.6 per cent of eligible habitations provided all-weather access as of January 15, 2026.
Under PMGSY-I, launched in December 2000, a total of 1,64,581 roads covering 6,44,735 km and 7,453 bridges were sanctioned, of which 1,63,665 roads spanning 6,25,117 km and 7,210 bridges have been completed.
Building on this, PMGSY-II, introduced in 2013 to strengthen existing rural road networks, has seen 6,664 roads covering 49,791 km and 759 bridges sanctioned. Of these, 6,612 roads (49,087 km) and 749 bridges stand completed.
The government approved PMGSY Phase III in July 2019 to consolidate 1.25 lakh km of key rural routes linking villages with agricultural markets, schools and hospitals. So far, 15,965 roads measuring 1,22,363 km and 3,211 bridges have been sanctioned, while 12,699 roads (1,02,926 km) and 1,734 bridges have been completed.
Highlighting innovation in rural infrastructure, the Survey noted that Chhattisgarh has built its first plastic waste-mixed bituminous road in Bastar district. The 5.5-km stretch, constructed under PMGSY between Kawapal and Kalguda in Jagdalpur tehsil, includes 1.2 km laid using non-recyclable plastic blended with bitumen. The initiative reflects the ‘Waste to Wealth’ approach under SBM-Grameen Phase II and offers a model for sustainable development in remote tribal areas.
On tribal welfare, the Survey said the PM-JANMAN scheme is targeting 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups across 18 states and one union Territory, covering around 48.22 lakh people in nearly 28,700 habitations. Under the programme, 2,495 roads spanning 7,324 km and 164 bridges have been sanctioned, with 263 roads covering 1,314 km completed so far.
The Dharti Abha–Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan is also being implemented alongside PMGSY-IV to improve access to water, housing, education, healthcare and livelihoods in over 63,000 tribal villages.
Environmental sustainability in tribal regions is being supported through the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission, which promotes entrepreneurship based on minor forest produce. About 4,105 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras have been set up across 28 states and UTs, benefiting nearly 12 lakh people. The Forest Rights Act has enabled distribution of over 23.92 lakh individual and 1.22 lakh community titles, covering more than 233 lakh acres.
The Survey pointed out that tribal communities, accounting for about 8.9 per cent of India’s population and living largely in forest and hill regions, hold valuable traditional knowledge that supports biodiversity. The economic value of ecosystem services from India’s forests is estimated at Rs.128 trillion annually.
On rural housing, the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin aims to provide 4.95 crore pucca houses by 2029. Against a target of 4.14 crore houses allocated to states and UTs, 3.86 crore have been sanctioned and 2.93 crore completed. Including houses cleared from earlier schemes, a total of 3.70 crore rural homes have been completed over the past 11 years.
The Jal Jeevan Mission has also made significant progress towards ‘Har Ghar Jal’. When the programme began in August 2019, only 17 per cent of rural households had tap water connections. By November 20, 2025, coverage had risen to over 81 per cent, with more than 12.5 crore new households connected.
Independent assessments cited in the Survey point to major social benefits, including reduced time spent by women fetching water and increased participation in farm and allied activities.
. PKJ .