The Centre will provide separate funds to Punjab for upgrading roads in six border districts under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna. Announcing this in Chandigarh today Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said the roads will be upgraded in the border districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Taran Taran and Pathankot.

He said, 1950 kilometre rural roads of the state will be upgraded under Pradhan Mantry Gramin Sadak Yojna in 16 districts of the state. He asked the Punjab Government to boost sanitation in the villages as only 200 villages had earned the status of Nirmal Gram Panchyat out of 12500. He said the Centre has decided to remove the BPL/APL condition for providing funds under the rural sanitation programmes of the Ministry to enlarge the scope of beneficiaries.

Jairam Ramesh also assured centre's help to Punjab in improving the quality of drinking water in areas where arsenic and uranium contents are found in the underground water.