Asian Development Bank

ADB approves $650 mn loan to boost India's rooftop solar rollout by 2027

Multilateral development bank ADB has approved a USD 650 million (about Rs 5,780 crore) policy-based loan to help the Government of India accelerate rooftop solar adoption and expand access to clean, affordable energy for 10 million households by 2027. The financing under Subprogram 1 of the Accelerating Affordable and Inclusive Rooftop Solar Systems Development Program will support the government's flagship initiative Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) which aims to make rooftop solar systems widely accessible nationwide, ADB said in a statement on Tuesday. The programme is accelerating India's clean energy transition by removing long-standing barriers to rooftop solar adoption, including financing constraints and regulatory gaps, ADB Country Director for India Mio Oka said. It is making rooftop solar affordable and accessible for millions of households while creating green jobs, empowering women, and strengthening the financial health of the power sector, she

Indian govt, ADB sign $800 mn loan pacts for key projects in three states

The government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed agreements for three loans worth over USD 800 million for projects in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Accordingly, the loan agreements for the Maharashtra Power Distribution Enhancement Programme for Agricultural Solarization (USD 500 million), Indore Metro Rail Project (27,147,200,000 yen, equivalent to USD 190.6 million), and Gujarat Skills Development Programme (USD 109.97 million) were signed, a finance ministry statement said on Saturday. In addition, a Technical Assistance (TA) grant of USD 1 million was also signed to provide implementation support for the upcoming Sustainable Wetland and Integrated Fisheries Transformation (SWIFT) Project in Assam, designed to enhance the state's wetland ecosystems and fisheries. The Maharashtra project aims to modernise rural power infrastructure, promote distributed renewable energy generation, and improve agricultural productivity by providing farmers with ..

ADB clears $400 mn loan to improve road connectivity in Maharashtra

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday said it has approved a USD 400 million results-based lending (RBL) program to improve road connectivity in Maharashtra. The loan will be used to improve road connectivity in 34 districts, particularly in the climate-vulnerable and economically lagging Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, linking rural communities to markets, logistics hubs, healthcare, education, and other essential services. Over 1.7 million people living within walking distance of improved roads will benefit, including residents of at least 80 villages and around 410 rural communities, the multilateral development bank said in a statement. These upgrades cover nearly 350 kilometers (km) of state highways and 2,577 km of rural roads. "The program seeks to foster balanced and inclusive economic growth in Maharashtra by improving road connectivity to rural villages, post-harvest centers, and essential social services," ADB Country Director for India Mio Oka said. The RBL moda

ReNew secures $331 mn funding from ADB for Andhra renewable energy project

ReNew had, in April 2025, announced a $2.5 billion investment to develop a 2.8 GW hybrid renewable energy complex in Andhra Pradesh - one of India's largest projects at a single location

ADB lowers FY27 India growth forecast to 6.5% citing US tariff impact

The Asian Development Bank lowered India's FY26 growth projection to 6.5% from 6.7%, citing steep US tariffs that could hit exports, manufacturing and investment in key sectors

Villages now lead India's manufacturing output, urban share falls below 50%

The latest Annual Survey of Industries 2023-24 shows that it was at 49.5 per cent, the fourth year in a row that urban areas have been a minority contributor to manufacturing output

India, ADB sign $125 mn loan pact to boost urban services in Assam

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a USD 125-million loan agreement with an aim to enhance urban livability and bolster climate resilience in six districts of Assam. The project will benefit 360,000 residents of Assam by delivering continuous metered water supply and upgrading storm water management systems, the finance ministry said in a statement. It also seeks to strengthen urban governance through institutional reforms and capacity building, it said. Key infrastructure investments include the construction of six water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 72 million litres per day and 800 km distribution pipelines in the district headquarters of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, and Nalbari, it said. The project will also deploy a real-time monitoring system, aiming to maintain non revenue water below 20 per cent, it said. In Guwahati, the project will enhance storm water management in the Bahini Basin with flood

India, ADB sign $126 mn loan deal to boost tourism in Uttarakhand

India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a USD 126.42-million loan agreement to promote rural development through sustainable tourism in the Tehri Lake region of Uttarakhand. The project aims to benefit over 87,000 residents and 2.7 million annual visitors through improved tourism planning, upgraded infrastructure, enhanced sanitation and waste management, and disaster preparedness. The project targets the Tehri Garhwal District, one of Uttarakhand's most climate-vulnerable and economically disadvantaged regions. "The ADB loan supports the Government of Uttarakhand's policy to position the state as a diversified, all-weather tourism destination, with Tehri Lake identified as a priority area for development," said Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. "The project showcases a model for sustainable tourism anchored around a hydropower lake by adopting a multi-sector approach to generate jobs, diversify income, and build ..

'Asia must open up': ADB president says world won't return to pre-Trump era

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda urges regional reform and integration, announces $10 bn each for Asean power grid and India's metro projects

ADB lowers India's FY26 growth forecast to 6.5%, cites impact of US tariffs

The report said that despite these factors, India's economic activity remains robust, with domestic consumption set to grow strongly on the back of revival of rural demand

ADB granted ₹975 cr loan for building infra in Tripura's 9 industrial areas

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has granted a loan amounting to Rs 975.26 crore for building infrastructure in nine industrial areas in Tripura, an official said on Monday. Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) Chairman Nabadal Banik said building of industrial sheds, power substations, underground electric lines, fire service stations and 34 roads will be taken up under the project. "The ADB has sanctioned a loan amounting to Rs 975.26 crore to build world-class infrastructure for development in nine industrial belts in Tripura. The implementation is underway", he told PTI. Industrial areas in Bodhjungnagar, R K Nagar, Dukli and AN Nagar are among the nine zones, he said. Banik said the state government has handed over plots for setting up industrial areas at Santirbazar (127 acres) in South Tripura and Fatikroy (28 acres) in Unakoti district. "The TIDC has already begun demarcation work to undertake infrastructure building in the two new areas. We are ensuring that

Can agglomeration logic still help our people-dense, infra-scarce cities?

Urban agglomeration has long been assumed to lead naturally to growth, but India's failing infrastructure and environmental stress tell a different story

ADB approves $109.97 million loan to boost employability in Gujarat

Multilateral funding agency ADB on Friday said it has approved a USD 109.97 million (about Rs 927 crore) results-based loan to support Gujarat in advancing its vision of becoming a global industrial hub through a stronger, future-ready workforce. The Gujarat skills development programme, led by the state's Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department in collaboration with Kaushalya: The Skill University (KSU), aims to equip the state's workforce with industry-aligned, advanced skills that boost job readiness in high-growth sectors, ADB said in a statement. The programme will strengthen the institutional and managerial capacity of the KSU network and broaden access to high-quality, industry-relevant training courses that integrate frontier technologies, it said. Through this process, the programme aims to transform the governance and performance of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system in Gujarat, establishing a scalable model that can be replicated

Pak's Bilawal Bhutto called out by journalist at UN over Kashmir remark

Pakistan's former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was called out here by a journalist on his comments about alleged demonisation of Muslims in India. The former Pakistan foreign minister, who is leading a team of experts to inform the world about the recent conflict with India, was briefing the media about their perspective on Tuesday. During the question-answer session, Egyptian-American journalist Ahmad Fathi, UN correspondent of American Television News (ATN), asked Bilawal about his comments on India's treatment of Muslims and reminded him that it was an Indian Muslim military officer who was briefing the media during the conflict. Let me start with a statement you made today, saying that the recent terrorist attack in Kashmir is being used as a political tool to demonise Muslims in India. Sir, I have watched the briefings on both sides, and as far as I recall, there were Muslim Indian military officers who were conducting the briefing on the Indian side, Fathi said. He

India opposes ADB's $800 million aid to Pakistan, flags misuse concerns

India has raised strong objections to ADB's financial aid to Pakistan, citing concerns over cross-border terrorism, high defence spend, weak reforms, and governance risks

Asian Development Bank approves $800 million package for Pakistan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved USD 800 million for Pakistan to strengthen fiscal sustainability and improve public financial management, an official said on Tuesday. Khurram Schehzad, advisor to the finance minister confirmed the development in a brief statement on social media, saying that the package includes a USD 300 million policy-based loan (PBL) and a USD 500 million programme-based guarantee (PBG). He said, ADB approves USD 800 million financing package for Pakistan under the Resource Mobilisation Reform Programme. Separately, the Philippines-based lender also confirmed the development in a statement, saying that subprogramme 2 of the Improved Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Reform Programme includes a policy-based loan of USD 300 million, and ADB's first-ever policy-based guarantee of up to USD 500 million, which is expected to mobilise financing of up to USD 1 billion from commercial banks. Pakistan has made significant progress in improving macroeconomic

ADB announces $10 billion plan to transform India's urban infra, services

ADB President Masato Kanda announces a five-year plan aimed at transforming urban infrastructure across India; metro expansion, RRTS corridors and skills programmes in focus

ADB commits up to $4.5 billion in annual sovereign loans for India

ADB President Masato Kanda has said the bank is ready to lend India up to $4.5 bn annually, with added private sector funding, to support clean energy, rural development, and Viksit Bharat 2047 goals

No Pakistan-related issues discussed: ADB on meeting with FM Sitharaman

Finance Ministry officials also said that there was no discussion on issues related to Pakistan with ADB President and the Italian Finance Minister

Delhi govt plans to rope in ADB for improvement of water supply infra

In a step towards improving Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) water supply network, the Delhi government has in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank decided to restart work on the Wazirabad water supply improvement project, Water Minister Parvesh Verma said on Monday. He alleged that despite the ADB's readiness to invest, the previous AAP government chose not to proceed with the financial collaboration, causing unnecessary delays and derailing much-needed improvements in the city's water supply network. According to the government, originally conceptualised under the Delhi Water Supply Master Plan-2021, prepared in 2011, the project was intended to modernise Delhi's water distribution network, significantly reduce losses, and ensure 24x7 supply to critical parts of the city. The Delhi Water Supply Improvement Investment Program (DWSIIP) included upgrading outdated pipelines, introducing advanced water treatment technologies, and enhancing service delivery for citizens. The next ...