Bhubaneswar, Dec 20 (IANS): The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 803 crore to the Odisha government under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), officials said on Monday.

The NABARD has sanctioned Rs 471 crore for the construction of 200 bridges in rural areas of 27 districts, while Rs 32 crore has been allocated for the construction of six flood protection projects in four districts, said C. Udayabhaskar, chief general manager, Odisha regional office, NABARD.

Similarly, another Rs 300 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of Kusumi irrigation project in Nayagarh district, he said.

The bridge projects of total length of 7,439.10 km will improve rural connectivity for 14.21 lakh people in 1,291 villages, while the flood projects will benefit 1 lakh people of 67 villages by providing protection from inundation, Udayabhaskar said.

Moreover, the Kusumi irrigation project will provide assured irrigation for 3,745 hectares in 49 villages, thereby benefiting 15 lakh people.

With this sanction, the cumulative sanction under RIDF XXVII (2021-22) reached Rs 2,781 crore, he said.