A parliamentary panel has flagged gaps in two key rural schemes, saying outdated norms and delays are keeping many eligible families out.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development, chaired by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, has asked for a fresh look at how habitations are identified under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

It said the system still relies on old population data that no longer matches the situation on the ground.

The report said the identification and prioritisation of habitations continues to depend on “older population benchmarks and legacy data”.

It warned that “dependence on outdated population parameters may result in exclusion of deserving habitations” and called for a review to reflect “present-day population realities and actual connectivity deprivation”.

The panel also raised questions over districts marked as “saturated”. It said this label is being used to skip areas that still lack roads.

“Mere classification of a district as saturated cannot be a ground for overlooking habitations that remain genuinely unconnected,” the report said.

It pointed out that many habitations in forest-fringe areas, hilly regions and difficult terrain still do not have all-weather road access.

The committee called for a “fresh and detailed reassessment” of such districts to ensure “universal road access is actually achieved”. It said districts with clear gaps should not be treated as fully covered. Delays in approvals were another concern.

The panel said such delays “adversely affect execution timelines, escalate costs and delay the intended benefits”.

It added that “avoidable procedural delays defeat the core objective of the scheme” and called for fixed timelines, better coordination with states and regular tracking of pending proposals.

On housing, the panel said assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) has not kept up with rising costs. It noted that the current per unit support “has remained static for a considerable period of time”.

As a result, many beneficiaries are forced to spend more from their own pockets, with “the actual expenditure significantly exceeding the present assistance”. The committee has recommended raising support to “a minimum of Rs 4 lakh per unit”.

It also flagged the exclusion of landless households and called for a policy to include them through land allotment or community-based models in coordination with states.

The panel’s message is clear: without updating norms and fixing delays, the last mile of rural roads and housing will remain incomplete.