Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan approved 745 km long rural roads for election-bound Maharashtra as part of the recently-approved Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana-Phase 3. 

The scheme was originally launched in December 2000, with the aim of ensuring road connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of poverty alleviation strategy.

In the first tranche, approved on Wednesday, Mr. Chouhan has cleared the decks for 745.286 Km in Maharashtra at cost of ₹655.66 crore, 152.44 km for Madhya Pradesh at a cost of ₹113. 58 crore, and 117 roads and 11 bridges in Kerala at a cost of ₹55.28 crore.