Bangalore: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan of Rs. 318.63 crore to the State government under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) XIX for construction of roads, bridges, buildings of veterinary institutes, and Raitha Samparka Kendras.

In a press release, NABARD said that 174 roads, 33 bridges of the Public Works Department (Rs. 152.60 core) and 24 rural roads and three bridges of the Tourism Department (Rs. 65.68 crore) would be constructed under RIDF.

It said that the funds would be utilised for construction of 127 buildings for the Animal Husbandry Department (Rs. 30.32 crore), 60 buildings for Raitha Samparka Kendras of the Agriculture Department (Rs. 23.37 crore) and nine maternal and child hospital buildings of the Health and Family Welfare Department (Rs. 76.66 crore).

The cumulative sanction to the State under RIDF XIX is now Rs. 597.37 crore. The construction of 1,684.21 km of roads and 521.61 metres of rural bridges would provide connectivity to 1,302 villages with 414 marketing centres.

The sanction of 127 buildings for the Animal Husbandry Department would help increase milk production, improvement in animal health, and reduction in mortality, breed improvement, increased income to farmers and availability of milk, the release said.