New Delhi: The Government of India on Monday signed loan agreements worth over $2.2 billion with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support a range of development initiatives spanning skill development, rooftop solar energy, healthcare, metro rail expansion and ecotourism across multiple states.
The agreements cover five projects aligned with key national flagship programmes, including skilling, clean energy transition and urban transport, as well as state-level initiatives in Assam, Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya.
The loan agreements were finalized under the guidance of Baldeo Purushartha, Joint Secretary (ADB & Japan) in the Department of Economic Affairs. They were signed by Saurabh Singh, Deputy Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India, and Aarti Mehra, Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Country Director of the ADB India Resident Mission, on behalf of ADB.
The projects include $846 million for the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) Programme; $650 million for Subprogramme 1 of the Accelerating Affordable and Inclusive Rooftop Solar Systems Development Programme; $398.8 million for the Assam State Tertiary Health Care Augmentation Project (ASTHA); $240 million for Tranche 2 of the Chennai Metro Rail Investment Project; and $77 million for the Integrated Ecotourism and Sustainable Agri-based Livelihood Development in Meghalaya Project.
The skilling programme aims to build a future-ready workforce by modernizing 650 ITIs across 12 states and upgrading five National Skill Training Institutes into centres of excellence for advanced trainer development. The initiative is expected to improve employability for at least 1.3 million youth, particularly in high-growth sectors such as renewable energy, electric mobility and advanced manufacturing.
Funding for the rooftop solar programme will support the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which seeks to expand residential rooftop solar installations and provide affordable clean energy to 10 million households by 2027. The programme will promote uniform technical standards and facilitate collateral-free, low-interest loans for low- and middle-income households to encourage mass adoption.
Funding for the rooftop solar programme will support Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which seeks to expand residential rooftop solar installations and provide affordable clean energy to 10 million households by 2027. (
In the healthcare sector, the ASTHA project will strengthen Assam’s tertiary healthcare infrastructure by modernizing medical colleges in Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar. These institutions will be developed as centres of excellence under the Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences to address critical gaps in specialised medical care and education.
The second tranche of the Chennai Metro Rail Investment Project will support the expansion of the city’s metro network with about 20 km of elevated and underground corridors and the addition of 18 new stations. The project includes universal accessibility features and climate-resilient infrastructure designed to ensure passenger safety during extreme weather events.
The Meghalaya ecotourism project aims to promote sustainable tourism and climate-smart agriculture while enhancing rural livelihoods. By integrating nature-based tourism with sustainable farming and forest conservation, the initiative is expected to generate economic opportunities for over 8,000 local beneficiaries, including women and indigenous communities.
Officials said the loan package underscores India’s continued partnership with ADB in supporting inclusive, sustainable and climate-resilient development across sectors.
(Photos: PickPic)