From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Feb 10: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 318.63 crore as loan assistance to the State government under its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIIDF) XIX for construction of roads, bridges, buildings of veterinary institutes and Raitha Samparka Kendras.

As many as ,174 roads 33 bridge of the Public Works Department (Rs 152.60 core) and 24 rural roads and three bridges of the Tourism Department (Rs 65.68 crore) would be constructed under RIDF, says an official press release from Nabard.

It said the fund would be utilised for construction of 127 veterinary institution building of the Animal Husbandry
Department (Rs 30.32 crore), 60 buildings of RSKs of the Agriculture Department (Rs 23.37 crore) and nine maternal and child hospital (MCH) buildings of the Health and Family Welfare Department (Rs 76.66 crore).

The cumulative sanction to the State under RIDF XIX has reached Rs 597.37 crore, the press release said.
Construction of 1684.21 km length of roads and 521.61 meters of rural bridge projects would provide connectivity to 1302 villages with 414 marketing centres.

The sanction of 127 veterinary institution buildings would help in creasing milk production, improvement in animal health, and reduction in mortality, breed improvement, increased income to farmers and availability of milk..

Construction of MCH buildings would reduce infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate and increase in institutional delivery.

It said RSKs have been sanctioned for creating testing and certifying facilities to the farmers and creation of infrastructure for marketing and information technology in rural areas. All these projects are expected to benefit 1.22 core rural populace across the state, said the Nabard release.