New Delhi, April 19 -- The Union Cabinet on Saturday approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Phase III (PMGSY) from March 2025 to March 2028, with a revised outlay of Rs.83,977 crore, up from the original Rs.80,250 crore. The extension covers roads and bridges in plain areas and roads in hilly areas. Bridges in hilly areas get a further push to March 2029, accounting for the longer construction timelines that difficult terrain requires. The Cabinet also cleared the sanctioning of 161 long-span bridges - estimated at Rs.961 crore - that were pending approval but fall on the alignment of already sanctioned roads. As per senior officials in the Union rural development ministry "works sanctioned before March 31, 2025, but not yet tendered will now be taken up for award, ensuring that projects already in the pipeline do not lapse." Launched in 2019, PMGSY-III focuses on upgrading 125,000 km of through routes and major rural links connecting habitations to Gramin Agricultural Markets, educational institutions, and government hospitals. Unlike earlier phases that focused primarily on building new roads to unconnected villages, Phase III is about upgrading existing routes that villages already use - making them all-weather and fit to carry agricultural produce to markets and students and patients to institutions. As of December 2025, 1,22,393 km had been sanctioned under the phase, of which 1,01,623 km - 83%- had been constructed. The three-year extension gives states the time needed to close the remaining 17% and complete the bridge infrastructure that goes with it. The first phase of PMGSY was launched on December 25, 2000, under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with the objective of providing all-weather road connectivity to unconnected rural habitations across India. I n the quarter century since, it has grown into one of the world's largest rural road programmes, according to the ministry. Across all phases since inception, the scheme has sanctioned 8,25,114 km of rural roads, of which 7,87,520 km - nearly 95% - were completed as of December 2025. A total of 9,891 bridges have been built under the programme....