Japan to lend Rs 10,535 cr for six infra projects

Japan on Monday committed 215 billion Yen (Rs 10,535 crore) to six infrastructure projects in India, including Phase II of the Delhi Metro Rail Project. An agreement to this effect was signed between Finance Ministry officials and the Japanese Ambassador to India Hideaki Domichi.

The committed 215 billion Yen would flow into the country in the next fiscal (2010-11) and the year beyond. With this agreement, official development assistance from Japan will touch 3,116.81 billion Yen (Rs 1,55,840 crore), making India the highest recipient of such assistance from the Far East country.

The agreement allocates 30.54 billion Yen (Rs 1,648 crore) for the second phase of the Delhi Metro Rail Project, under which a total of 121 km of new rail lines are to be laid in the National Capital Region.

These lines include 19.2 km New DelhiAirport line, 20 km Central SecretariatBadarpur line, 27.45 km Central SecretariatSushant Lok line and 18.46 km InderlokKirti Nagar-Mundka line. In addition, 23.4 billion Yen (Rs 1,146 crore) will go towards Calcutta East-West Metro Project Phase II, 59.85 billion yen (Rs 2,932.6 crore) for Chennai Metro Project Phase II and 90.3 billion yen (Rs 4,422 crore) for the first phase of a dedicated Freight Corridor Project of Railways.

Besides, 3 billion Yen (Rs 150 crore) would be given for Rengali irrigation project in Orissa and 5.3 billion Yen (Rs 263.8 crore) for a forestry project in Sikkim.