Bhubaneswar: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) said Monday that it has sanctioned a financial assistance of more than Rs 4,000 crore to Odisha in the current fiscal. It is the highest NABARD allocation for any stated in India.
The allotment was made on the basis of the priority accorded by the Odisha government for developing of infrastructure regarding drinking water supply, irrigation and rural connectivity, NABARD said in a press release. The projects are expected to play a key role in supporting the rural economy by improving the livelihoods of people, the NABARD release said.
An amount of 4,013 crore was sanctioned under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) during the 2021-22 financial year, out of which Rs 2,568 crore was for construction of rural roads and bridges.
More than 10 lakh people in Odisha state will benefit from the creation or upgradation of 2,000km of roads and bridges spanning a length of 17.13 km, RIDF said.
Nine mega piped water supply projects got Rs 840 crore for providing clean, treated and safe drinking water at the doorsteps of around 17 lakh rural population across Odisha.
Financial assistance of Rs 605 crore has also been extended for infrastructure development in the agri-allied and irrigation sector. It includes the Kusumi irrigation project and the livestock vaccine production unit, as well as cluster lift irrigation and flood protection projects.
The total sanction has crossed Rs 32,100 crore for Odisha since the inception of the RIDF, the release added.