The World Bank will provide US$160 million credit for the Rajasthan road sector modernization project, which will support the government of Rajasthan in improving rural connectivity, enhancing road safety and strengthening road management in the state.
In recent years Rajasthan has made progress developing its rural roads under a central government programme. More than 80% of its habitations with population of more than 500 now have road connectivity. However, some 7,357 villages in the state with population below 500 cannot be reached by road.
The new project involves construction of 2,500km of rural roads to connect about 1,300 villages that are not covered under the current programme. Preparatory studies will also be undertaken for improving 700km of priority sections of the state highways. The roads will be built to a bitumen surface standard and will include all necessary bridges and cross-drainage works in order to maintain year-round connectivity.
The project will be financed by a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) – the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm – which provides interest-free loans with 25 years to maturity and a grace period of five years.
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