Hyderabad, 26 September 2012 -- As part of the Government of India and the World Bank’s ongoing efforts to improve on-the-ground implementation of development initiatives, Bank-supported projects were jointly reviewed by the government and the World Bank here over two days.
Nineteen of the Bank’s India portfolio of 76 projects – totaling a commitment of $4.3 billion – were reviewed. The sectors that were covered during this review included panchayati raj, rural water and sanitation, irrigation and water resources.
A number of officials from the Government of India, including the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) in the Ministry of Finance, line ministries, state and project officials, and World Bank staff from Delhi and Washington participated in the exercise.
The review, chaired jointly by Sanjay Garg, Director, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), and Michael Haney, World Bank Operations Advisor in India, was aimed at sharing learnings gleaned from the implementation of these projects and at finding solutions for any issues that might be impeding project implementation.
“World Bank projects not only bring financing but also enable the transfer of knowledge and good practices. This review gave us an opportunity to know about the good performance and practices being implemented by projects and the challenges they face in order to ensure their replication across India,” said Michael Haney, World Bank’s Operations Adviser in India.
As part of the joint review, government and World Bank officials went on a field trip to see work under the Andhra Pradesh Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project. “We visited Makthaguda village in Mahaboobnagar district and saw the work being done under the Andhra Pradesh Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project which plans to provide water and sanitation to every household. Individual toilets and water connections for each household are being constructed, pipes are being laid, and recharge pits are being constructed for water harvesting. The local community is also participating actively in the Project and we are hopeful that it will help improve the health and lives of these people,” said Haney.
The World Bank's $23 billion portfolio in India covers 76 active investment projects. During FY12, the Bank's Board approved US$ 3 billion in funding for 10 new projects for India spanning a range of sectors including infrastructure, education, health and rural development. Of this, US$ 445 million came from IBRD and US$ 2.5 billion came as interest–free credits from IDA. India has borrowed US$ 92 billion (IDA- US$ 44 billion and IBRD- US$ 48 billion) at the current prices during its sixty years of relationship with the Bank.
