UK Minister for International Development for Asia Shahid Malik on Saturday announced that the UK government will extend an assistance of $55 million (Rs 3.74 billion) for the construction of rural roads over the next four years in various districts of Nepal. Malik, who was speaking at a program organized in Kavre district, informed that his government along with donors will provide an additional $550 million to upgrade almost 2,500 kilometers of rural roads. He hoped that this coupled with government funds of around $ 400 million will help in connecting all of rural Nepal. The UK Minister, who arrived in Nepal Friday on a 3-day visit, noted that new roads have made a major contribution to reducing poverty across Nepal by 11 percent over the past ten years, adding that it is "a vital part of the efforts of government and all the political parties to end poverty in Nepal". Malik further said that connecting all the remaining district centers to the national road network will help bring more than 5 million people nearer to a road.