The Government of India is set to launch four road-widening projects worth Rs46.2bn ($849.14m) on the national highways in the states of Assam and Madhya Pradesh.

Approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the four new projects cover three developments in Assam and one in Madhya Pradesh.

The work in Assam will widen National Highways 37 (NH-37) under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme North Eastern Region (SARDP-NE) Phase A at a cost of Rs19.33bn ($355.15m).

"Approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the four new projects cover three developments in Assam and one in Madhya Pradesh."

NH-37 projects also include the Rs8.74bn ($160.7m) four laning of the 80km Jorhat-Demow section, the Rs4.73bn ($87m) four laning of the 46km Demow-Bogibil junction, and a Rs5.84bn ($107.3m) four laning of the 51km Numaligarh-Jorhat section.

All three projects in Assam will be executed on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis in a build-operate-transfer (BOT) delivery mode, and will speed up the improvement of infrastructure in the state, while increasing employment potential for local labourers.

In Madhya Pradesh, the CCEA approved the four laning with Paved Shoulders of the Jabalpur-Bhopal section of National Highway 12 (NH-12) under the National Highways Development Project Phase III, on a DBFOT basis in a BOT mode of delivery.

The Rs26.86bn ($493.28M) project will reduce the time and cost of travel for traffic on NH-12 between Jabalpur and Bhopal.