WB, ADB to give $400 million for disaster works in U'khand

This was decided after a joint team undertook preliminary survey to assess damage caused due to recent natural disasters

The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) would jointly 400 million dollars to the floods-ravaged Uttarakhand for the purpose of disaster-related reconstruction works and developing new infrastructure facilities in the hill state.

This was decided after a joint team of the World Bank and ADB undertook a preliminary survey in the state to assess the damage caused due to the recent natural disasters.

 An official statement said, “It is decided in coordination with the state government that the WB and ADB would jointly provide 400 million dollars to the state.”

Under this, the basic amenities of housing, tourism, irrigation, agriculture, livestock, education, health and construction of roads would be redeveloped.

 The officials of the World Bank and ADB also held a meeting with Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar here yesterday in this regard, the statement said.

Giving details of the projects, Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Sharma said that the ADB would give 30 million dollars for tourism development, 95 million dollars for roads, 10 million dollars solely for hill roads affected in the disaster, 12 million dollars for drinking water and 6 million dollars for construction of drainage systems.

The ADB would also provide 20 million dollars to the state-run UJVN ltd, whose five small hydel projects were damaged in the deluge.

Sharma also stated that the World Bank would give 30 million dollars for drinking water, 21 million dollars for watershed projects, 50 million dollars for repair of damaged buildings and roads, 12 million dollars for irrigation and 23 million dollar for technical aspects.

The joint funding from World Bank and Asian Development Bank will be provided for the required programmes through its ‘Crisis Window’ provision. The aid will be given in a ratio of 90:10, under which ninety% would be paid by the central government and the rest of 10% by the state government.