World Bank has approved a $32 million grant for road infrastructure in rural areas. An estimated 36 percent of Nepal's 24 million people live more than a two hours walk away from the nearest navigable road. Lack of road access is much worse in the hills. About 15 districts are not connected by road. "Access to services and economic opportunities have been among the top casualties of Nepal's ongoing conflict, especially in rural hinterlands," says Kenichi Ohashi of the World Bank, which believes that poor access to markets and services in remote areas
pose as main constraints to economic growth.