Odisha cabinet approves ₹22,667 crore funds for rural road, bridge projects

Under the expanded programme, the government will construct 1,750 new bridges while completing 1,417 ongoing bridge projects

Published on: Jul 15, 2026, 11:33:06 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha Cabinet on Tuesday approved a ₹22,667 crore package of rural infrastructure projects, including 1,750 new bridges and 26,000 km of roads to strengthen connectivity across villages, remote regions and border areas.

The government will construct 1,750 new bridges while completing 1,417 ongoing bridge projects. (iStock | Representative picture)

The cabinet approved a major expansion of the Setu Bandhan Yojana (SBY), extending the scheme till 2030-31 and increasing its outlay to ₹11,000 crore.

Under the expanded programme, the government will construct 1,750 new bridges while completing 1,417 ongoing bridge projects.

Originally launched as the Biju Setu Yojana in 2011-12, the scheme seeks to eliminate missing bridge links on roads under the Rural Development Department and strategically important Panchayat Samiti roads under the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department. The current phase (2021-22 to 2025-26) had already sanctioned 2,403 bridges at an outlay of ₹8,779.22 crore, including 380 ongoing and 2,023 new bridges.

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Officials said the additional bridges are expected to improve year-round access to healthcare, education, markets and other essential services in rural and remote areas while boosting local economic activity.

The MMSY-Connecting Missing Road Links (CMRL) scheme, a five-year programme from 2025-26 to 2029-30 with an outlay of ₹1,917 crore was also approved. The scheme envisages construction of around 3,850 km of roads to bridge critical gaps in the road network, along with completion of ongoing projects and construction of connecting bridges and small cross-drainage works wherever required.

The cabinet approved implementation of the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana (MMSY) with an outlay of ₹4,000 crore over five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31. Under the proposal, the Rural Development Department will construct about 4,607 km of new roads and complete 115 km of ongoing road works.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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