National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan of Rs. 241 crore of Kerala under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for implementing 77 rural projects. 58 projects in the education sector and 19 projects in the rural connectivity sector together have an outlay of Rs. 304 crore.

A flagship programme of upgrading 52 Government Upper primary Schools in 10 districts to High Schools is among the projects which have ben approved. In each School, infrastructure will be developed through a uniform project at a cost of Rs. 2.58 crore. NABARD will provide support to the tune of Rs. 2 crore and the balance will come from Rashtriya Madyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). It is expected that about 30,000 students will get the benefit out of these projects at a time. Sanction has also been accorded for infrastructure development in three schools of Fisheries Department and three Polytechnics under Higher Education Department.

 

The projects under rural connectivity sector includes 18 roads by Public works Department and one road by Local Self Government Department with a total loan of Rs. 119 crore. These are the first set of projects being sanctioned by NABARD in the current financial year. According to Sri. R. Sundar Chief General Manager NABARD, Kerala, projects worth Rs. 400 crore are under various stages of sanctioning process.

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