Nabard has sanctioned Rs 254 crore to Odisha under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for setting up of two mega piped drinking water supply projects, official sources said.

 

The two mega projects will come up in Jajpur district (covering Badachana and Dharmasala blocks) and Puri district (covering Brahmagiri and Krushnaprasad block). These projects are expected to provide clean and safe drinking water to 8.78 lakh rural population across 1.37 lakh household in 565 villages of the state on completion, an official release said.

 

 The mega piped drinking water supply projects are intended for providing 70 litre per capital per day (LPCD) clean, safe hygienic portable drinking water at the consumer end through functional household tape connection (FHTC) with eight hours of supply in the project area. These projects will contribute in achieving the goal of provision of drinking water to the rural population by 2022, it said.

 

During the current financial year, many critical rural infrastructure projects under drinking water, irrigation and rural connectivity (road and bridge) activity are being planned to be supported under RIDF-XXVII. The state government accords top priority to mega piped water supply projects in the state followed by projects under irrigation and subsequently rural connectivity projects.

 

This infrastructure support under RIDF plays a major role in supporting rural economy of the state and adds to the continuous efforts of the state government to boost the infrastructure requirements of rural areas, said C Udayabhaskar, Chief General Manager, Nabard, Odisha Regional Office