To improve national highways and road connectivity in remote areas and economically backward areas of India, the World Bank has approved a loan of $500 million loan.
The World Bank loan will focus on three low-income states–Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha – and on less developed regions in Karnataka and West Bengal. In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of improving transport connectivity in remote and economically lagging areas which do not fall under the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP).
According to a press release, the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project, approved on October 29, will upgrade and widen about 1,120 km of existing single/intermediate lane National Highways to two-lane in Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan and in less developed regions of Karnataka and West Bengal.