On May 28,2020 The Asian Development Bank(ADB) and the Government of India signed a USD 177 million loan to upgrade  11 state highways & 2 major district roads with a combined length of 450 km, to 2-lane standard across seven districts of Maharashtra.
- The signatories to the Maharashtra State Road Improvement Project were Shri Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance who signed for the Government of India, and Mr Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission who signed for ADB.
- The project will enhance the connectivity between rural areas and urban centers in the state to enable rural communities to better access markets, employment opportunities and services.
Major highlights of the project
i.The project will improve connectivity to national highways, interstate roads, seaports, airports, rail hubs, district headquarters, industrial areas, enterprise clusters and agricultural areas.
ii.Improved mobility will expand growth and livelihood opportunities outside the major urban centers of the state to second-tier cities and towns thus reducing income disparities.
iii.It will strengthen road safety measures by developing a road safety audit framework that will protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly, women, and children, following the international best practice.Â
iv.One of the features of the project is to update the road maintenance system by encouraging 5-year performance-based maintenance obligations to contractors to sustain asset quality and service levels.
v.Focus- The project will focus on training the Maharashtra Public Works Department project staff to develop their capacity in climate change adaptation and disaster resilient features in road design, road maintenance planning and road safety.
About ADB:
It was established in 1966 & is committed to achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. It is owned by 68 members- of which 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.
Headquarters– Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippine
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
