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Funds promised for rural roads

Special Correspondent

Union Minister praises Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has assured the Rajasthan Government of allocation of sufficient funds for construction of 6,168-km-long roads to connect over 1,700 villages under the seventh phase of the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana during 2007-08.

An official release issued here stated that the State Government had submitted proposals worth Rs. 993.34 crores to the Centre for construction of these roads. The issue came up during a national conference on rural roads held in New Delhi on Wednesday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presided over the conference.

The Union Minister praised the Rajasthan Government for creating a strong infrastructure of rural roads and ensuring good quality of work at low costs under the PMGSY. He said Rajasthan had emerged a "model State'' under the scheme during the past few years.

State Public Works Department Minister Rajendra Rathore, making a presentation on rural roads in the conference, pointed out that as many as 6,459 villages across the State had been linked with roads at a cost of Rs. 3,139.26 crores under PMGSY. He said the target had been set to link 2,710 villages by December this year.

Less costly

Mr. Rathore said the cost of construction of roads under the scheme in Rajasthan had been estimated at Rs. 15 lakhs per km, which was less than the expenditure incurred in other States.

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Funds promised for rural roads

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