The central government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 200 million loan as additional financing for the ongoing Rajasthan Secondary Towns Development Sector Project.

• The additional financing will support the Rajasthan government in reducing basic infrastructure gaps in its secondary towns by expanding water supply and sanitation services and improving livability in selected urban local bodies, the finance ministry said in a statement. 
• The project will incorporate various innovative and climate-resilient solutions for expanding basic urban services and incorporate nature-based solutions to rehabilitate heritage structures besides piloting public-private partnerships in the state's water and sanitation sector to deepen private sector engagement, the statement said. 
• A total of 1,451 km of water supply pipes, 1,110 km of sewer pipes have been laid as part of the ongoing project, which was approved in September 2020, while 68,098 households have been connected to water services in selected secondary towns in the state.