Setu Bandhan Scheme:
The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said that Setu Bandhan Scheme approval has been granted for seven bridge projects in Arunachal Pradesh under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF).
- Setu Bandhan Scheme is an initiative of the Ministry for Road Transport and Highways.
- It has been introduced to improve inter-state connectivity, especially in rural areas at the borders where state roads do not get the required attention.
- It is aimed at replacing railway line Level Crossings (LCs) with Road Over Bridges (ROBs)/Rail Under Bridges (RUBs) in states.
- Central Road and Infrastructure Fund was established in 2000 under the Central Road Fund Act, 2000.
- It was previously known as Central Road Fund.
- Its subject matter belongs to the Ministry of Finance.
- The fund consists of a cess imposed along with excise duty on petrol and diesel.
- The Central Road Fund Act, 2000, was amended in 2018 and its objectives are as follows
- To use proceeds of the road cess under CRIF to finance other infrastructure projects such as waterways, some portion of the railway infrastructure, and even social infrastructure, including education institutions and medical colleges.
