India, ADB sign $295 million loan to upgrade state highways in Bihar
New Delhi: The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed an agreement for a $295-million loan to upgrade around 265 km of state highways with climate and disaster resilient design and road safety elements in Bihar, the ministry of finance said. The signatories to the agreement for enhancing connectivity and sustainability in Bihar Roads Project were Vumlunmang Vualnam, additional secretary, department of economic affairs, who signed on behalf of the Indian government, and Takeo Konishi, country director for ADB in India, who signed for ADB.
The project supports the Bihar government’s programme to upgrade all state highways to standard two-lane widths and improve road safety. The improved roads will enhance connectivity in some of Bihar's poorest rural districts and promote access to health and education facilities, and markets to improve people’s lives.
“Besides upgrading roads, the ADB project builds on earlier efforts to enhance the state road agency’s management and implementation capacity, and will strengthen the systems for planning, road safety, and sustainability," said Konishi. Among the initiatives to strengthen the state road agency, Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited, are developing a road asset management system which includes climate change and disaster risk information; establishing research laboratories in Bihar Road Research Institute to enable investigation of materials, including reusable and sustainable materials to alleviate the effects of climate change; conducting studies on congestion management and climate adaptation; and creating guidelines for gender-inclusive practices in road safety measures.
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