BHUBANESWAR: Nabard has sanctioned Rs 388 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for four drinking water and 20 rural road projects in the State.The RIDF assistance is for setting up of four mega piped drinking water supply projects, one each in Boipariguda block of Koraput district, Nilgiri block of Balasore district and two in Malkangiri district.
The water supply projects are intended to provide 70 litre per capita per day safe and portable drinking water at the consumer-end through functional household tap connection. On completion, these projects are expected to provide clean and safe drinking water for eight hours to 2.57 lakh rural people in 467 villages. Though the Centre has set a target to provide tap water to all households of the country by 2022, the State will achieve the goal by 2024.
Construction and upgradation of 20 village roads across 15 districts of the State will be taken up under this sanction. The road projects are expected to improve the livelihood of 1.52 lakh people in 162 villages, said assistant general manager of Nabard NL Sahoo. The national bank has made a cumulative sanction of Rs 691 crore during the current financial year for critical rural infrastructure projects like drinking water, irrigation and rural connectivity (road and bridge) under RIDF.