About 740 projects in the state, which could not be completed under the 14th tranche assistance of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), will be carried over to the next schedule of assistance.
The state government has approved a proposal submitted by the regional office of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) in this regard. The detailed project reports (DPR) for these projects have been submitted to Nabard. Sources said, out of the total 36,577 projects cleared for implementation under the 14th tranche, 29,270 projects were found eligible for funding by Nabard. Apart from the normal sectors selected for assistance, the projects under this tranche included about 28,328 shallow tube well or bore well projects to be executed by the agriculture department.
Similarly, rural marketing project and inland waterways transport system under the administrative control of the state commerce and transport department also got the Nabard nod.
The other projects sanctioned under this tranche included 650 lift irrigation points and a bridge over river Mahanadi at Binika at a cost of about Rs 30 crore. Besides, more than 70 rural road and bridge projects were sanctioned to be taken up for implementation in the 14th tranche.
Sources said, assistance under RIDF by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) under the 9th, 10th and 11th tranches may be phased out after March 2009.
The state government made budgetary provision of Rs 628.74 crore in 2008-09 for the administrative departments for implementation of the projects from 9th to 14th tranches.
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While 8th tranche has been allowed to expire, the decision on expiry of the assistance under tranche 9th to 14th is yet to be taken. However, the progress of the 365 projects implemented under the 8th tranche was satisfactory with most of the projects completed.
Nabard, which has been providing assistance to the state government for improving the rural infrastructure, has sanctioned Rs 4017 crore assistance under RIDF scheme to the Orissa government. It provided Rs 849 crore for implementation of RIDF projects in 2008-09, sources added.