Presenting his last budget before the assembly elections later this year, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Wednesday doled out sops for farmers, elderly, journalists, employees.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has estimated the prioritised resource requirement for critical infrastructure needs at Rs 8,098.19 crore for Karnataka during the 12th Plan period. Nabard has adopted the theme "Critical Rural Infrastructure for agriculture and rural development" for 2013-14.

According to Nabard, the critical infrastructure is defined as that infrastructure, which if created, will support increased credit flow under agriculture and benefit a large number of people.

Twelve years after launching its flagship rural roads scheme, the Ministry of Rural Development is set to introduce the second version of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, which will focus on refurbishing the existing rural roads, by moving a proposal in the Cabinet on Thursday.

PMGSY, a Centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2000, seeks to provide all-weather road connectivity to rural areas for habitations with a population of 500 persons and above in plains and 250 and above in hilly/ desert areas. The sole focus of the scheme has been to provide new connectivity to unconnected areas. PMGSY II will focus on upgradation of existing rural roads not built under PMGSY and making capital investments to bring such roads to PMGSY standards.

The National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (Nabard) on Monday announced it has sanctioned Rs.47.50 crore to Tamil Nadu under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF XVIII) for executing water conservation and canopy improvement project in degraded forest lands.

In a press release, Nabard Chief General Manager Lalitha Venkatesan said with this the cumulati

The government's Second Rural Transport Improvement Project (RTIP II), supported by the World Bank, is helping improve the rural road network, reports UNB.

The Chinese government plans to allocate 120 billion yuan ($19.11 billion) to fund local transport infrastructure construction in 2013, the Ministry of Finance has announced.

In a bid to improve road connectivity in remote villages located in Naxal-affected areas and bordering districts, the Cabinet on Thursday approved a special provision of R38,500 crore under Pradan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to be allocated during the 12th plan period (20012-17).

Besides, the Union Cabinet also approved tweaking of PMGSY guidelines, where habitations with a population of 100 and above in the 82 Naxal-affected tribal districts would get roads under PMGSY. At present, the PMGSY covers habitations with a population of 250 persons and above in Naxal-hit tribal districts. More than 13,000 villages are expected to be covered under this special PMGSY allocation.

Overall scheme likely to see Rs 10,000-cr cut in the coming Budget proposals

The Cabinet today approved a Rs 38,500-crore allocation over five years for some projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The overall scheme is expected to see a Rs 10,000-crore cut in the coming Budget proposals. The scheme had an annual allocation of Rs 24,000 crore till this year. There would be about Rs 7,000 crore annually for the schemes approved today. The Cabinet is also to consider next week a new version of the PMGSY, which might take the total annual spending to Rs 14,000 crore.

The government has allocated Rs 6,000 million to upgrade the rural road network across the country under the Gama Neguma project this year.

Tells VAL to look for bauxite beyond Niyamgiri for its refinery

Union Minister for Rural Development, Jayaram Ramesh on Sunday announced a package worth Rs 300-crore envisaging construction of houses and roads for the Dongaria and Kutia Kandhas, a primitive tribes group (PTG), living at the foot-hill of Odisha’s bauxite rich Niyamgiri mountain in Kalahandi district. The package includes Rs 200-core for construction of 2100 houses under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) and laying of rural roads to all villages with a population of 250 and more in Kalahandi district with an outlay of Rs 100 crore under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).