Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $80-million loan agreement with the Centre to help continue improving infrastructure in the two North-Eastern state capital cities of Agartala and Aizawl.

The loan is the third tranche of a $200-million financing facility under the North Eastern Region Capital cities Development Investment Programme.

This will be used for investment in water supply, solid waste management and sanitation in Agartala and Aizawl.

The loan will also support urban reforms, benefiting nearly a million people in the two cities.

Previous programme tranches have provided assistance to five other cities in the North-East — Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland), Gangtok (Sikkim) and Agartala (Tripura), an official release said.

The loan agreement was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India and Teresa Kho, Country Director, ADB’s India Resident Mission, on behalf of Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Separate sub-project agreements under the third tranche were also signed.

Srivats.kr@thehindu.co.in