Prime Highlights

• Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel has approved a ₹2,609 crore package to upgrade 1,258 rural roads spanning 4,196 km, boosting connectivity across villages.
• The project is expected to strengthen economic activity, improve market access, and enhance healthcare and education reach in rural areas.

Key Facts

• The scheme will resurface 487 roads (1,609 km) in North Gujarat, 499 roads (1,528 km) in South Gujarat, and 272 roads (1,059 km) in Saurashtra.
• Gujarat already has a 1.63 lakh km transport network and was India’s first state to build an expressway, continuing its legacy of infrastructure leadership.

Background

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has approved a major infrastructure package worth ₹2,609 crore to upgrade panchayat-managed rural roads across the state. The plan, cleared on September 1, aims to modernise 1,258 roads covering 4,196 km, strengthening village connectivity and ensuring durable, all-weather infrastructure.

According to officials, the scheme includes resurfacing and related works on roads spread across north Gujarat, south Gujarat, and Saurashtra. In north Gujarat, 487 roads covering 1,609 km will be improved. In south Gujarat, 499 roads covering 1,528 km will be upgraded, while Saurashtra will see 272 roads over 1,059 km modernised.

According to the government, the move is based on years of rural demands and requests by local representatives to have proper infrastructure that can support monsoon rains and heavy traffic. With the enhanced connectivity, the economic activities in the villages are expected to improve, commuting into the towns will be made easier, and access to markets, health services, and education will be enhanced.

Officials noted that the decision ties into Gujarat’s broader infrastructure vision, which links rural development with large-scale projects like the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train, industrial corridors, and logistics hubs. With more than 1.63 lakh km of expressways, highways, and rural roads, the state has a vast transport network.

Gujarat was the first Indian state to develop an expressway, the Ahmedabad – Vadodara corridor, and has continued to invest in highways, coastal roads, and village roads under central and state programs like the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

The authorities consider that the new project will make Gujarat a leader in road infrastructure and quicken the development of the state’s hinterland. The improved country roads should not only enhance movement but also provide more trade and service opportunities, which will improve the general living standard in villages.

This is one of the largest decisions ever to be undertaken by the Chief Minister regarding rural connectivity in the state, considering the fact that the government has been paying close focus to the issue of striking a balance between rapid industrialization and rural development.