Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said that many big projects have been set up in Maharashtra in the past with the cooperation of the World Bank and several other projects will be developed in the future too. However, these projects will not only be in the infrastructure sector but also for building institutional capacity in other sectors. He was speaking at a meeting here with Executive Directors of the World Bank.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present on this occasion. The World Bank Executive Director in India Parameswaran Iyer as well as Executive Directors of UK, Argentina, Brazil, Tanzania, Indonesia, China, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland, Nigeria were also present.
CM said the state’s partnership with the World Bank will further improve the quality of life of the people of Maharashtra, adding that the state has the best skilled manpower, excellent infrastructure in the country. In addition, the state is making substantial efforts in the fields of green technology, renewable energy, disaster management, healthcare and port infrastructure.
CM shared some important steps taken for agriculture reforms, women empowerment, health and housing for all. He further said that the state government has set up an Economic Advisory Council to recommend how Maharashtra’s economy becomes a $1 trillion. The EAC has submitted its report and its recommendations will be implemented in a time bound manner.
Stating that the state government is focusing on sustainable development, the Chief Minister said that this is a people-oriented government and its policies and programs are in line with the World Bank’s objectives of empowering the poor and the weak.
The Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the aim is to make Maharashtra drought-free, especially through the river linking project. He said that the priority is to divert the water of the Western Channel rivers to the Godavari basin and to end the drought in the districts of East and West Vidarbha through the river linking project.
As far as World Bank funded ongoing projects in Maharashtra are concerned, they included State of Maharashtra Agri- business and Rural Transformation Project (SMART), Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) Phase II and Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (PoCRA) I. The World Bank’s total funding for these projects has been $1031 million.
The World bank assisted completed projects comprising Jalswarajya Project I, Jalswarajya project II, Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) Phase I, Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project (MWSIP) and Maharashtra Agricultural Competitiveness Project (MACP).
Further, the projects in the pipeline included Maharashtra Skills Development Project ($306 million), Maharashtra Resilience Development Program (MRDP) ($400 million) and Maharashtra District Growth and Institutional Capabilities Project ($264 million).
The state government expects the World Bank funding for some more projects including
Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (PoCRA) II, Transit Oriented Development (MMR) and Green Energy.
