PMGSY was launched on 25th December 2000 as a 100 % centrally sponsored scheme with a view to establish rural connectivity, connecting unconnected habitations, with all weather roads having an inbuilt three-tiered Quality Control mechanism and roads thus constructed has a Defect Liability Period (DLP) of 5 years by the same contractor who constructs the road. At the State level, Kerala State Rural Road Development Agency (KSRRDA) is the Nodal Office functioning exclusively for the implementation of the scheme. At the District level, separate Programme Implementation Units (PIUs) are functioning as part of the Poverty Alleviation Units (PAUs) in the District Panchayat. The PIU is directly responsible for supervising the implementation and quality management of PMGSY works. Once the roads are completed, they are taken into the asset register of the concerned District Panchayats.