Odisha seeks Rs 2000 cr from Nabard for infra, others projects

Odisha government has sought around Rs 2,000 crore from rural development lender NABARD for spending on bridge, roads, irrigation and other projects, official sources said.
Odisha's proposal in this regard was submitted to the visiting NABARD Chairman Harsh Kumar Bhanwala who met state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, they added.
"The assistance from the RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund of NABARD) will be spent in bridge, roads, borewell and irrigation projects," an official said.
While the state government in its proposal mentioned that there was gap of Rs 500 crore in bridge projects, Rs 200 crore each is required for roads and borewell projects.

The state government also proposed to NABARD Chairman to sanction Rs 752 crore for drinking water projects in Nuapada district where ground water has developed fluoride, officials said.
Patnaik also requested Bhanwala to reduce the celling of 30 per cent in rural pipe water projects and also in rural roads and bridges, they added.

"NABARD will consider scaling up the financial assistance to the state of Odisha," Bhanwala told reporters after the meeting.
During his two-day visit, Bhanwala visited some RIDF projects being implemented in Cuttack.
Cumulatively since inception of RIDF, NABARD has sanctioned Rs 10,698 crore to the Odisha government for implementing projects under various sectors such as irrigation, rural connectivity, animal husbandry, infrastructure development, jetties/passenger waiting halls for inland waterway transport and rural drinking water supply system.

RIDF of NABARD was created to fund completion of ongoing projects and create new projects in rural areas.
NABARD in its recent meeting held on December 19, 2014, at its head office in Mumbai sanctioned projects worth Rs 151.78 crore to the Odisha government under RIDF (2014-15). With this, the total amount sanctioned to Odisha government during 2014 by NABARD has gone up to Rs 1,354.72 crore under RIDF.