The Karnataka government has released Rs. 200 crore as special grant for road development works in 114 backward taluks, according to Minister for Public Works C.M. Udasi. He told presspersons on Friday that the special grant would be spent only for road works in the backward taluks as roads were bad there. During President's Rule, the administration released Rs. 125 crore for road works in rural areas and the special grant would be an addition to that. The Minister said the State government planned to build toll roads between Bellary-Mangalore and Bellary-Karwar.

Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Rustam Singh laid foundation of three roads to be constructed at a cost of Rs five crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in Morena district, the other day. On this occasion, he reiterated the government's commitment saying that every village will be connected with the main road and not even a single village would be left without road communication facility.

Drinking water and sanitary facilities will be ensured to all schools as well as Aganwadi centres by 2009 in Asom. This was announced by the PHE Minister Rihan Daimary in a meeting organized by Udalguri district administration to mark the completion of two years by the present government in office. Udalguri is proposed to be developed into a full fledged district in another three years.

Arpora-Nagoa gram sabha on Sunday, gave a firm

The ministry of rural development has sanctioned Rs 696.39 crore to the National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA) and the states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sarak Yojana (PMGSY) for the period ranging 2004-05 to 2008-09 respectively. The amount will be received by the respective state rural roads and national rural roads development agencies. An amount of Rs 6 crore has been sanctioned as the first installment of grants-in-aid to the NRRDA during 2008-09 for meeting the expenditure on its activities.

The Haryana Cabinet on Monday approved establishment of Haryana Rural Roads and Infrastructure Development Agency. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told media persons after the meeting that this agency would undertake infrastructure projects, particularly rural road works approved under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, as well as "plan, execute, monitor and review the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and other similar programmes'.

The state government is determined to ensure arrangements of drinking water, power and roads in every village. This was said by Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Rustam Singh while laying the foundation stone of a stop dam to be constructed at a cost of Rs 64.84 lakh at village Bamrauli in Janpad Morena Panchayat. The stop dam would be constructed under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

The objective of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his administration is to develop the backward rural areas to the level of the urban areas, said Minister of Highways T.B. Ekanayake at Panduwasnuwara. Four concreted roads costing Rs. 7 million were opened by the Minister T.B. Ekanayake on this occasion. He said a large number of undeveloped rural roads have been constructed in the Kurunegala district.

Measures are being taken by the Ambagamuwa Divisional Secretariat to reconstruct the Galamuduna Deniyahena road in the Ambagamuwa (Ginigathena) DS division in the Nuwara Eliya district.

Sri Lankan government announce that it has launched a project funded by the Asian Development Bank to develop rural access roads and improve the livelihood of the rural masses. ADB funds were provided by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction. The project to be implemented in the Ratnapura, Badulla and Monaragala districts aims to improve the quality of life of about 2,500 poor families in rural areas.