Odisha will have an entitlement for 3,760 kilometres of roads in rural areas under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-II, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on May 1.

BHUBANESWAR: The state government is targeting to spend Rs 2,000 crore under the centrally-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in 2013-14. About 5,000 km of roads has been planned to be constructed.

As per the new plan, hamlets having more than 250 population in 18 identified Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts in Odisha will be connected with PMGSY roads. Similarly, in non-IAP villages, villages having more than 500 population will be connected with permanent PMGSY roads.

As many as 125 projects taken up in Jammu and Kashmir under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the Centrally-funded scheme for expansion of rural road network, are awaiting clearances by the forest

Soft drinks and cigarettes will cost more in Punjab effective April 1, with the state government hiking the Value Added Tax (VAT) in the Rs 460.21 crore deficit budget presented in the state assembly here today.

Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa presented the budget for 2013-14 even as the opposition Congress members abstained from the House for the sixth successive day, holding a "mock session" outside the Assembly complex to protest suspension of their nine members last week.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha today, points out lacunae in the execution of works under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna.

Presenting his last budget before the assembly elections later this year, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Wednesday doled out sops for farmers, elderly, journalists, employees.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has estimated the prioritised resource requirement for critical infrastructure needs at Rs 8,098.19 crore for Karnataka during the 12th Plan period. Nabard has adopted the theme "Critical Rural Infrastructure for agriculture and rural development" for 2013-14.

According to Nabard, the critical infrastructure is defined as that infrastructure, which if created, will support increased credit flow under agriculture and benefit a large number of people.

Twelve years after launching its flagship rural roads scheme, the Ministry of Rural Development is set to introduce the second version of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, which will focus on refurbishing the existing rural roads, by moving a proposal in the Cabinet on Thursday.

PMGSY, a Centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2000, seeks to provide all-weather road connectivity to rural areas for habitations with a population of 500 persons and above in plains and 250 and above in hilly/ desert areas. The sole focus of the scheme has been to provide new connectivity to unconnected areas. PMGSY II will focus on upgradation of existing rural roads not built under PMGSY and making capital investments to bring such roads to PMGSY standards.

The National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (Nabard) on Monday announced it has sanctioned Rs.47.50 crore to Tamil Nadu under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF XVIII) for executing water conservation and canopy improvement project in degraded forest lands.

In a press release, Nabard Chief General Manager Lalitha Venkatesan said with this the cumulati

The government's Second Rural Transport Improvement Project (RTIP II), supported by the World Bank, is helping improve the rural road network, reports UNB.