Morocco has allocated $720 million to a program meant to curb disparities between cities and rural areas in 2018, local media reported on Monday.

The financial daily L'Economiste said that 74 percent of this budget will be dedicated to road infrastructures to open up hard-to-reach areas.

Educational infrastructure will receive 11 percent of the budget, the same source added.

The program will be funded by the fund of rural and mountainous zones development with the aim of opening up hard-to-reach areas, developing educational and health infrastructures and improving access to drinking water and electricity.

A total amount of $9.7 million has been geared to fund development partnership projects in oases and Argan trees areas, the same source pointed out.

A budget of $4.7 million will be allotted to carrying out the rural development project for the Atlas mountains through technical studies and awareness raising initiatives for the beneficiaries, it noted.

(Xinhua News Agency, November 13, 2017)