PMGSY-III Steel Slag Roads in Jharkhand: NRIDA Selected for U.P. Medal 2025

The news

The National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA), under the Ministry of Rural Development, has been selected for the U.P. Medal for Innovative Technology in Roads for 2025 by the Indian Road Congress. The award recognises NRIDA’s promotion of steel slag in rural road construction under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). The medal is scheduled to be presented on 19 November 2026 during the 85th Annual Session of the Indian Road Congress in Hyderabad, Telangana.

The nomination submitted by the Ministry of Rural Development and NRIDA highlighted the use of steel slag in PMGSY-III road works in Jharkhand, sanctioned during 2022-23. The project covers 381.57 km of roads and has achieved a 26 per cent reduction in overall construction costs, according to the ministry. Officials said the proximity of industrial steel plants helped optimise transportation costs. Steel slag is an industrial waste material used as an alternative resource for road construction, promoting resource efficiency and sustainable infrastructure.

When was the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana launched?

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched on 25 December 2000 as a fully funded Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide all-weather road connectivity to unconnected rural habitations. The Indian Road Congress, which awards the U.P. Medal, was established in 1934 as the premier technical body for highway engineers in India. The National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) was set up as a society under the Ministry of Rural Development to provide technical and management support for PMGSY. The third phase of PMGSY was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2019 to consolidate and upgrade existing rural road networks.

What is the U.P. Medal and who awards it?

The U.P. Medal for Innovative Technology in Roads is awarded by the Indian Road Congress, the country’s apex body of highway engineers. The medal recognises innovations in road technology. NRIDA, which functions under the Ministry of Rural Development, implements the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a central scheme for rural road connectivity. The third phase of PMGSY, under which the Jharkhand works were sanctioned in 2022-23, focuses on upgrading and consolidating existing rural roads.

What has the steel slag project achieved and what are its limits?

The Jharkhand project recorded a 26 per cent reduction in overall construction costs, partly because of the proximity of steel plants that lowered transportation costs. The ministry and NRIDA have so far sanctioned 1,81,923 km of road works using sustainable technologies, of which 1,39,901 km have been completed. The reported cost reduction is project-specific and depends on local availability of steel slag and transport conditions. The initiative demonstrates the use of an industrial waste material as an alternative resource, but wider adoption would require assessment of material suitability and local logistics.