Centre approves infrastructure boost for hill states under PMGSY-III

Delhi Delhi: To boost rural connectivity and economic development in India’s hill states, the Rural Development Ministry has approved a new series of infrastructure projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana-III (PMGSY-III) for Manipur, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the ministry said in a release on Saturday.According to the release, these projects, which include road construction and construction of long-span bridges, are aimed at improving access to essential services and stimulating economic activity in remote and inaccessible areas.Manipur has been sanctioned 41 new roads of 280.97 km length at an estimated cost of Rs 225.15 crore. This is in addition to the 56 roads of 502.24 km length already sanctioned under PMGSY-III, with a total investment of Rs 404.72 crore.Mizoram will get 7 Long-Span Bridges (LSBs) of 373.46 m length at a cost of Rs 67.69 crore. The state has earlier been allotted 17 roads of 487.5 km length at an estimated cost of Rs 562.70 crore. Himachal Pradesh has been given 21 LSBs of 970.77 m length costing Rs 140.90 crore. The earlier approvals given under the scheme include 299 roads of 3,123.12 km length and 43 LSBs at a total cost of Rs 3,345.82 crore.