| Project Detail |
The project will support the development of Madhya Pradeshs road subsector by (i) connecting the less-developed rural population to city and town centers or industrial corridors; (ii) preparing the road subsector development strategy, focusing on emerging areas in the subsector, including climate change resilience, low-carbon development, and road safety; and (iii) creating more opportunities, directly or indirectly, for women in project-influenced areas through enhanced access to markets and other social amenities, as well as in the subsector through the promotion of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in the workplace.
Project Name Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience of the Madhya Pradesh Road Network Project
Project Number 56364-001
Country / Economy India
Project Status Approved
Project Type / Modality of Assistance Loan
The project will support the development of Madhya Pradeshs road subsector by (i) connecting the less-developed rural population to city and town centers or industrial corridors; (ii) preparing the road subsector development strategy, focusing on emerging areas in the subsector, including climate change resilience, low-carbon development, and road safety; and (iii) creating more opportunities, directly or indirectly, for women in project-influenced areas through enhanced access to markets and other social amenities, as well as in the subsector through the promotion of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in the workplace.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Despite its recent economic growth, Madhya Pradesh is one of Indias lagging states. Its per capita net state domestic product in fiscal year (FY) 2021 was less than 70% of the national gross domestic product per capita. Nearly 37% of its population is multidimensionally poor, higher than the national average of 25% and fourth highest in India. The state government of Madhya Pradesh is promoting economic development through industrialization and private investment, such as the development of industrial nodes on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and in other industrial areas and growth centers. Because of the states large size, dependence on agriculture, and distributed industrial development, transport infrastructure, particularly roads, are an essential asset to facilitate further economic growth.
Roads are the predominant transport mode in Madhya Pradesh, with the network consisting of 8,853 kilometers (km) of national highways, 9,089 km of state highways, 23,401 km of major district roads, 27,313 km of other district roads, 30,691 km of urban roads, and 232,331 km of village roads. The lower-than-national average road density increases transport costs and limits possibilities of economic development. In addition to the relatively low density, the traffic movement in Madhya Pradesh is significantly restricted by its road network capacity, with 58% of the state highways and 80% of the MDRs in single- to intermediate-lane with 3.75 to 5.50 meters carriageway width.
The state government aims to augment the capacity of the road network for seamless and faster connectivity across Madhya Pradesh by connecting all division and district headquarters, major commercial cities, industrial towns, and places of tourist importance by four-lane or two-lane roads. State highways and MDRs were developed through public-private partnerships, where possible. As of December 2022, the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Limited has improved 18,855 km of roads under different schemes, among which 6,146 km (32.6%) was completed under build-operate-transfer.
Improved connectivity in the state road network, including enhanced safety features, will enable balanced economic development in Madya Pradesh. Gender and socially inclusive development will be fostered by providing better access to markets and basic services and by promoting GESI in the workplace. More importantly, the transition to a low-carbon, inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient road system will be supported by (i) sustainable maintenance of assets through increased private sector involvement; (ii) identification and prioritization of essential road infrastructure to improve climate resilience, aligned with Indias nationally determined contributions; (iii) development of a decarbonization pathway for the states road subsector; and (iv) proactive identification and addressing of road safety risks for all road users through a holistic road safety assessment.
Impact
Accelerated and incremental growth supported by sustainable development in Madhya Pradesh achieved |
