'The goal is to provide all-weather road connectivity to all unconnected habitations with a population of 1,000 persons and above in the plains and 500 persons and up in the hilly or tribal areas,' the rural development minister said.

Joshi informed that the rural roads programme also aims to upgrade the existing road network 'to ensure full farm to market connectivity' to the farmers. Under this plan, the government's target is to upgrade 194,130 km rural roads.

The minister said the financial outlay for the rural roads scheme for 2009-10 was Rs.18,500 crore and Rs.7,280 crore from it had already been released to the states and various agencies involved in it.