India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $110 million loan agreement to upgrade all-weather rural roads in Madhya Pradesh under the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Programme (PMGSY). The $110 million is the second tranche of the $500 million Second Rural Connectivity Investment Programme for India approved by the multilateral lending agency in December 2017 as per reports. ln view of increased rainfall and storm surges in Madhya Pradesh, the road designs consider these climate risks with measures such as greater elevation of road embankments and slope protection as per reports. The overall Second Rural Connectivity Investment Programme is aimed at improving rural connectivity, safe and efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for communities in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. It plans to upgrade about 12,000 km rural roads across the five states.