Nabard sanctions Rs 68-cr loan to Punjab

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) loan of Rs 68 crore to Punjab government for strengthening and widening of 101 rural roads in 20 districts of the state.

Naresh Gupta, chief general-manager, Punjab regional office of Nabard indicated that the project aims to improve rural infrastructure through provisions of better roads and bridges to facilitate round-the-year connectivity of the villages with educational and health institutes and marketing centres leading to qualitative improvement in the living condition of the rural population.

A stretch of 451.07 km of roads would be strengthened and widened by increasing the crust thickness and enhancing the capacity of the roads for carrying on increased traffic intensity smoothly. Once completed, the project is expected to benefit 2.3 million people residing in 616 villages across 20 districts of Punjab.