(a) whether Government has provided/proposes to provide financial assistance to the
States to strengthen transport facilities in tribal areas of the country;
(b) if so, the details of steps initiated in this regard ; and
(c) if not, the reasons therefor?
MINSTER OF STATE FOR PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS AND PLANNING (SHRI RAJEEV SHUKLA)
(a)&(b) Financial assistance is being provided under Road Requirement Plan (RRP) for
improvement of 5469 kms roads for Rs. 7300 crore in 34 districts of 8 states affected by Left
Wing Extremist (LWE) which are predominantly tribal areas. Out of a total road length of
5469 kms under RRP for LWE areas 5045 kms of road length has already been awarded and
2384 kms of road length has been completed. In addition, a special programme for road
improvement was launched in 2005 in North East region which also has a sizable
concentration of tribal population. Under this programme called Special Accelerated Road
Development Programme-North East (SARDP-NE) an estimated investment of about
Rs 33,688 crore is proposed for phase-A and Arunachal Package. These include
improving 6418 km. of roads (including 2319 km of roads under Arunachal Package) of
which 1152 kms of road length has already been completed and a length of 3465 kms has
been awarded;
(c) does not arise;