additional financing for ongoing Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project It will help improve an additional 1,100 rural roads and 230 bridges for a total length of 2,900 kilometers (km) in 34 districts. “The ongoing project, with $200 million funding approved in August 2019, is already improving and maintaining the condition and safety of 2,100 km of rural roads across Maharashtra,” the government said in a release.
The signatories of the loan agreement were Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, signing for ADB.
Mishra said after signing the loan agreement, “With the additional financing, the overall project will improve the condition and safety of over 5,000 km of rural roads and over 200 bridges connecting rural communities to productive agricultural areas and socioeconomic centers in Maharashtra.” will do.”
“Improved connectivity through climate-resilient, all-weather rural roads will help accelerate Maharashtra’s economic recovery” COVID-19 shock By creating rural jobs and transforming agriculture,” Konishi said.
“The new project is expected to generate about 3.1 million person-days of employment for local communities, of which at least 25% will be for women, in the construction and maintenance period. A gender action plan has been prepared to focus on capacity development of women workers so that they can benefit from semi-skilled and unskilled labor opportunities,” the government said in the release.
This additional funding will rebuild and rehabilitate roads and bridges in Maharashtra that were destroyed by the devastating floods in August 2019. “The design incorporates flood and climate. resilience measure“The pilot trial explores the use of eco-friendly materials on selected road sections, use of mobile mapping technology to monitor project roads and new technologies such as fiber-reinforced concrete and pre-cast concrete arch bridges,” the release said.