ADB approves $ 177-bn for rural road network

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $177 million to India to upgrade 450 km of state highways and major district roads in Maharashtra. The roads to be upgraded link agricultural and industrial areas and are critical to improving access to markets, employment opportunities, and services. The project will also finance the development of a road maintenance planning system and build the capacity of the Maharashtra Public Works Department (MPWD). The growth in the agriculture sector has been declining, compared to the industrial and service sectors, largely due to poor roads to ferry agricultural produce to the cities; the improved roads will help the rural areas to integrate properly into the local economy. Many state roads connecting urban and rural areas in Maharashtra are congested, unsafe, and of poor quality and now the project will improve major district roads and expand 425 km of state roads to the two-lane standard. Improvements will incorporate road safety elements and environmental sustainability, climate change adaptation features, and measures to enhance social inclusion and safeguards. In the project, the state government of Maharashtra will contribute $78.99 million equivalent toward the $255.99 million, the total cost of the project.