Nabard sanctions Rs 1,024 cr projects under RIDF

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned projects worth Rs 1,023.73 crore for Odisha under the 20th tranche of Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for 2014-15.

With this, the cumulative approval for Odisha by Nabard has touched Rs 10,367 crore comprising 191,000 projects under various sectors like irrigation, rural connectivity, animal husbandry, infrastructure development, jetties/passenger waiting halls for inland waterway transport and rural drinking water supply system. The latest sanction includes funding for 18 rural roads and 11 rural bridge projects involving assistance of Rs 279.02 crore. The projects envisage creation of additional road length of 170.51 km and bridge length of 3,314.29 metres in the state.

Similarly, 61 irrigation and flood protection projects with an assistance of Rs 326.92 crore and 783 lift irrigation projects (tube well & river lift) under Biju Krishak Vikas Yojana (BKVY) involving assistance of Rs 95.82 crore have also been approved.

The sanctioned irrigation projects envisage to create an irrigation potential of 144,224 hectares (ha) and under BKVY, 17,189 ha. Supporting one of the flagship programmes of state government, Nabard has sanctioned 9,593 micro river lift and shallow tube well projects under Jalanidhi-II. RIDF assistance of Rs 254.60 crore will be given to create an additional irrigation potential of 30,457 ha in the state.

Nabard has also sanctioned a project on strengthening and modernisation of Odisha Biological Product Institute (OBPI), Bhubaneswar under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) norms.