The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a Rs11,000-cr project to construct all-weather roads and improve connectivity for security reasons in 44 districts worst hit by the left-wing extremism and violence.
The infrastructure project to bring development in the Maoist affected areas, known as ‘Road Connectivity Project for left Wing Extremism Affected Areas’, will provide connectivity in 35 worst affected lWE districts - which account for 90 per cent of total lWE violence in the country - and 9 adjoining districts, critical from security angle.
“Under the project, construction/upgradation of 5,411.81 km road and 126 bridges/Cross Drainage works will be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs11,724.53 crore in the above district. The fund sharing pattern of lWE road project will be same as that of PMGSY ie in the ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and States for all States except for eight North Eastern and three Himalayan States (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand) for which it is 90:10. Ministry of Finance will have to allocate to Ministry of Rural Development Rs7,034.72 crore for this project during the period of implementation 2016-17 to 2019-20,” said the statement issued by the Government.
The Ministry of Rural Development will be responsible for sponsoring and implementing the project. The roads taken up under the scheme would include Other District Roads (ODRs), Village Roads (VRs) and upgrading of the existing Major District Roads (MDRs), that are critical from the security point of view.
Bridges up to a span of 100 metres, critical from security angle, would also be funded on these roads. National and state highways have been excluded from the project.
The roads to be constructed under the scheme have been identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with the state governments and security agencies.