Cabinet approves construction of over 32,000 km roads in far-flung areas

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of 32,152 km roads in far-flung areas of the country at a cost of Rs 33,822 crore.

The cabinet also approved telecom connectivity in tribal areas by putting up telecom towers in 7,287 villages in five states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha.

A total of 44 aspirational districts in these five states will get benefited by telecom connectivity, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said while briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting.

The project envisages to provide 4G based mobile services in the 7,287 uncovered villages of 44 Aspirational Districts across five States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra & Odisha at an estimated cost of implementation about Rs 6,466 crore including operational expenses for 5 years. The project would be funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The project will be completed within 18 months after the signing of the Agreement and likely to be completed by November 23.

The work related to provision of 4G mobile services in identified uncovered villages will be awarded through open competitive bidding process as per extant USOF procedures.