New Delhi, Sept. 3 -- The ministry of rural development is creating a centralized database for rural road infrastructure by establishing a digital roads registry, according to two officials aware of the development. Powered by geographic information system (GIS) mapping, the platform will shift the focus from traditional project-based planning to long-term asset and lifecycle management, these people said.

The proposed registry will capture information at the road, segment, and asset levels, including details on pavements, culverts, bridges, drainage systems, retaining walls, road-safety infrastructure, and other associated assets, they added.

The initiative aims to address gaps in the existing district rural roads plan (DRRP), which ma...