The Asian Development Bank is funding construction of over 31,000 km of rural roads in India to lend support to the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the country’s flagship programme that connects villages with all-weather roads, increasing income and job opportunities for the poor.
“ADB will provide about $2 billion loans through its three long-term investment programmes to build and improve rural roads in five states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam,” said M Teresa Kho, country director for ADB in India.
Improved rural connectivity was showing results in the form of more employment opportunities, better remuneration for farm produce, improved health indicators and an increase in school enrollment in rural areas, Chou said.
More than 12,500 previously unserved habitations were being connected under the ADB rural road projects through new stretches of roads connecting villages to district, state and national highways.
Niz Pokowa village, 75 km from Guwahati, was witness to the transformational changes that roads can bring into the lives of people. Income levels of many people in the village’s 4000-odd population have multiplied as they could transport products such as handloom clothes, paddy, vegetables to other parts of Assam while many have become micro entrepreneurs by setting up poultry farms, rice mills, etc.
“Land prices have gone up (by 20 times) from Rs 30,000 five years ago to Rs 6 lakh per bigha (14,400 sq ft) now,”said Umesh Dutta, a retired teacher of Niz Pokowa.
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