The Hindu : Karnataka to seek Rs. 2,500 cr. from WB

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 23, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Karnataka to seek Rs. 2,500 cr. from WB

By Our Special Correspondent

Joelle Chassard, World Bank Coordinator for India, holding discussions with the Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, N.Viswanathan (left) in Bangalore on Wednesday. Stephen Hower, economist with the World Bank, is seen. — Photo: V.Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore May 22. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department is preparing a concept paper seeking Rs. 2,500-crore assistance from the World Bank for agriculture development, primary and secondary education, and poverty alleviation.

The Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner-cum-Agricultural Production Commissioner, N.Vishwanathan, told presspersons here today that the concept paper would be submitted to the Government in a month's time and then to the World Bank for approval.

On the agriculture front, the focus would be on expanding the extension network on a large scale and improving the marketing infrastructure. In the area of education, the department would lay emphasis on school infrastructure, reorientation of teachers, and so on. As for poverty alleviation, the department would select 100 backward taluks wherein families living below the poverty line would be helped.

Mr. Vishwanathan said these proposals were discussed at a meeting today with World Bank officials who had come for a multi-sectoral review.

The meeting, he said, was to review rural water-supply, watershed development, and tank development projects for which the World Bank is providing a loan of about Rs. 1,500 crore. The total cost of the projects was about Rs. 3,000 crore.

Mr. Vishwanathan said the projects, to be completed in five years, were progressing on schedule.

The World Bank team wanted gram panchayats and the zilla panchayats to be involved in the implementation and also operation and maintenance of the schemes. Hence, there would be a micro watershed development group and a water users' association. The options before the department were whether to entrust the entire management to the users' associations, or to the gram panchayats, or to a subcommittee of gram panchayats.

One other issue that was discussed was financial discipline in gram panchayats, he said. The panchayats were paying electricity bills from grants and the department was against this. It had suggested metering of drinking water projects and streetlights.

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