India govt, ADB tie-up to upgrade state highways in Bihar

The Indian Government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement for a $295-million loan to upgrade around 265 km of state highways with climate and disaster resilient design and road safety elements in Bihar, the Ministry of Finance said.The signatories to the agreement for enhancing connectivity and sustainability in Bihar Roads Project were Vumlunmang Vualnam, additional secretary, department of economic affairs, who signed on behalf of the Indian government, and Takeo Konishi, country director for ADB in India, who signed for ADB.The project supports the Bihar government’s programme to upgrade all state highways to standard two-lane widths and improve road safety. The improved roads will enhance connectivity in some of Bihar's poorest rural districts and promote access to health and education facilities, and markets to improve people’s lives.“Besides upgrading roads, the ADB project builds on earlier efforts to enhance the state road agency’s management and implementation capacity, and will strengthen the systems for planning, road safety, and sustainability,” said Konishi.