Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Indian government have entered a $300 million loan to help expand rural connectivity and boost the rural economy in Maharashtra. Additional funding for the Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project will help improve 1,100 rural roads and 230 bridges in 34 districts, totalling 2,900 km. The project approved in August 2019, with a $200 million funding package, is already improving and maintaining the condition and safety of 2,100 km of rural roads across Maharashtra. Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, signed for the Indian government, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB India Resident Mission, signed for the Asian Development Bank. Following the signing of the loan agreement, Mishra told the media that the additional funding will improve the condition and safety of 5,000 km of rural roads and over 200 bridges connecting rural communities to productive agricultural areas and socioeconomic centres in Maharashtra. During the construction and maintenance phases, the new project is expected to generate about 3.1 million person-days of employment for local communities, with at least 25% of those being women. A gender action plan has been developed to focus on building the capacity of female workers so that they can take advantage of semi-skilled and unskilled labour opportunities. This additional funding will be used to repair and rebuild roads and bridges in Maharashtra that were damaged by the devastating floods of August 2019. The design includes flood and climate resilience measures, as well as pilot testing the use of environmentally friendly materials on selected road segments, using mobile mapping technology to monitor project roads, and incorporating new technologies like fibre-reinforced concrete and precast concrete arch bridges. Image Source Also read: ADB nods $300 mn additional loan for Maharashtra’s rural roads