ADB injects $350-mn in rural roads

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed $350 million loan agreement for improving about 1500 km of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh as per the State's Road Development Plan. The project would complement the efforts of the state government to bring about seamless road connectivity across the state by linking State Highways and rural roads through district roads. The project will involve upgrading roads with concrete pavements, strengthening culverts and bridges, and maintaining the improved road assets for a period of five years after construction, on a performance-based payment format. Madhya Pradesh is the second-largest state in the country, with an area of about 308,000 sq.km and housing a population of about 73 million. Agriculture, which is still the backbone of the state's economy, will get a major booster from upgraded rural road network.