Chhattisgarh

In a major push to rural infrastructure and connectivity in conflict-affected regions, the Government of India has sanctioned Rs 195 crore to the State Government of Chhattisgarh as Central Assistance for the financial year 2025-26 under the Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA).

The sanction has been issued by the Ministry of Finance's "Just-in-Time" fund release mechanism through the Single Nodal Agency (SNA) SPARSH model for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).

This Mother Sanction has been created with the approval of the competent authority and uploaded on the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for release against actual expenditure incurred during the current financial year.

The allocation includes Rs 190.6125 crore under the Programme Fund and Rs 4.3875 crore under the Administrative Fund, both routed through the RBI Account.

As per SPARSH guidelines, only one Mother Sanction remains active at a time on the system, with previous balances carried forward.

The funds will support the construction, upgradation, and maintenance of rural roads and related infrastructure in remote, forested, and Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas of Chhattisgarh.

The works include new all-weather rural roads, strengthening of existing roads, and construction of bridges and cross-drainage structures, especially in regions prone to flooding and seasonal inaccessibility.

The aim is to connect habitations with block and district headquarters, markets, schools, and health centres--thereby improving governance, service delivery, and socio-economic mobility. Districts expected to benefit include Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur, Kanker, Bastar, Rajnandgaon, Balrampur, Kondagaon, and Jashpur, among others.

The Administrative Fund of Rs 4.3875 crore will be utilised for monitoring and evaluation (M&E), technical assistance, capacity building, and data management through Management Information Systems (MIS), as per scheme norms.

The sanctioned amount is adjusted against projects approved in earlier phases. Under Batch-I (2019-20), Rs 56.82 crore is adjusted from the current sanction, with the balance under that batch now nil, for Batch-I (2022-23), Rs 133.79 crore is adjusted from this sanction, leaving a balance of Rs 217.39 crore for future release.

These adjustments factor in previous disbursements and interest accrued, including revised sanctions and e-bill clearances via SNA-SPARSH.

The Ministry of Rural Development has urged the State Government to expedite the utilisation of the sanctioned funds in compliance with the scheme guidelines. In addition, the State has been reminded to strictly adhere to the Ministry of Finance's Office Memorandum dated 13th July 2023, which mandates the closure of all SNA accounts post-project and the return of any unspent Central share to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI).

Similarly, unspent State share must be returned to the State's Consolidated Fund, and any central funds held in the State Treasury must also be remitted to the CFI.

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This sanction has been issued under the powers delegated to the Ministry and in consultation with the Integrated Finance Division. By enabling the development of vital infrastructure in some of the country's most remote and underserved areas, this initiative is expected to significantly improve connectivity, promote inclusive growth, and contribute to long-term peace and development in Chhattisgarh's LWE-affected regions.