Bhubaneswar: Odisha government Tuesday approved rural road and bridge projects worth Rs 32,067 crore, extending seven infrastructure schemes for another five years to strengthen connectivity, officials said.
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, which approved 13 proposals from seven departments, including seven proposals of the Rural Development Department.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said the cabinet extended seven existing Rural Development Department schemes till 2030-31.
The cabinet approved the extension of the Setu Bandhan Yojana (SBY) with an outlay of Rs 11,800 crore. Under the scheme, 1,750 new bridges will be constructed and 1,417 ongoing bridge projects completed to improve rural connectivity, she said.
Launched in 2011-12, the scheme aims to bridge missing links on roads under the Rural Development Department.
The government also extended the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana (MMSY)-Transferred Roads Improvement Programme (TRIP) till 2029-30 with an allocation of Rs 6,700 crore for construction and improvement of 25,500 km of rural roads and completion of ongoing projects.
Similarly, the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana has been extended till 2030-31 with an outlay of Rs 4,000 crore for construction of 4,607.21 km of new roads and completion of 115 km of ongoing road projects.
The cabinet also approved the continuation of the MMSY-Improvement to Existing RD Roads scheme till 2029-30 with an estimated expenditure of Rs 5,750 crore. Under the programme, 17,500 km of roads connecting hospitals, schools, colleges, markets, tourist destinations and commercial centres will be upgraded, Garg said.
The government further extended the MMSY-Connecting Missing Road Links scheme with an outlay of Rs 1,917 crore for construction of 3,850 km of roads.
It also approved the continuation of the MMSY-Connecting Unconnected Villages in Difficult Areas scheme with an allocation of Rs 1,300 crore and the Bridge-cum-Weir scheme with an outlay of Rs 600 crore for the 2026-27 to 2030-31 period.
Besides infrastructure projects, the cabinet approved the repeal of the Odisha Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1956, paving the way for a new agricultural marketing law.
The cabinet also approved continuation of subsidy under the State Agriculture Policy for another five years (2026-27 to 2030-31) with an outlay of Rs 2,496.40 crore. The scheme aims to support 8,500 commercial agri-enterprise projects across all 30 districts of the state, Garg said.
In addition, the cabinet cleared a project worth over Rs 130 crore under the Parbati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme, which is expected to be completed within three years.
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