GoI, ADB signs loan for Urban Infra project in Maharashtra, Jharkhand

In a major development in the urban infrastructure domain in the country, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of India have signed loan agreements worth $412 million for a slew of projects in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

In a bid to ramp up rural connectivity projects in Maharashtra, ADB has signed an additional loan amount of $300 million and had approved $200 million in August 2019. The project will lead to the refurbishment of an additional 1,100 rural roads and 230 bridges for a total length of 2,900 km in 34 districts.

The loan agreement signed between, Rajat Kumar Mishra, the Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs,  ADB India Director Takeo Konishi. "With additional financing, the overall project will improve the condition and safety of 5,000 km of rural roads and over 200 bridges connecting rural communities with productive agricultural areas and socioeconomic centers in Maharashtra," Mishra added.

The project is expected to generate around 3.1 million person-days of employment for local communities, of which at least 25% is for women.

For Jharkhand, ADB and the government of India signed a loan of $112 million.

This will be utilised for developing water supply infrastructure and capacity of urban local bodies for improved service delivery in four towns in the state. In these towns, four water plants with a combined capacity of 275 million litres per day will be established, along with 940 kilometers of water distribution network that will supply to around 115,000 households.