The Government of India has signed a $273 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for improving rural roads in the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The loan represents the third and the last tranche of the $800 million financing facility under the Rural Connectivity Investment Program. The loan will help in constructing over 6,000 km of all-weather rural roads in the aforesaid five States, benefiting over 4200 rural habitations. The Ministry of Rural Development (MORD) is the executing agency of the project at the central level. The State Governments of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal have been entrusted with overall implementation at the respective State level. The implementing agencies at the State level will be the respective State Rural Roads Development Agencies. The third tranche is expected to be completed by December, 2017.