A five-day training program for engineers and personnel from the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) began yesterday at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi. The program aims to train PMGSY officials on planning, design and construction of rural roads and bridges. Organized by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at IIT Mandi, the program will run from December 4th to 8th, 2023. It will cover topics like planning, design and construction of minor bridges and culverts, as well as preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for rural road projects under the PMGSY scheme. Over 35 engineers from various PMGSY Project Implementation Units (PIUs) and State Rural Roads Development Agencies (SRRDAs) across North India are participating in the training. The program is being coordinated by Dr. Ashutosh Kumar, with Dr. Shivang Shekhar as the co-coordinator. Inaugurating the program, the Director of IIT Mandi emphasized the importance of rural connectivity and lauded the role of PMGSY in improving access for rural communities. The training aims to equip engineers with the latest technical knowledge and best practices for constructing sustainable and climate-resilient rural roads. The five-day intensive program includes classroom lectures, hands-on design exercises and site visits to example road projects in the region. Participants will also receive certification from IIT Mandi upon successful completion. The program is an effort to build technical capacities within the PMGSY ecosystem and decentralize expertise to the state and district levels.