More World Bank projects in offing for NE: Country Director

The World Bank, which has invested over 1,160 million USD in different projects of north-eastern India, is further expanding its footprints in the region, its country director Auguste Tano Kouame said here on Friday.Currently, work on various projects in underway in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram, and Sikkim will soon be added to this list, he said.Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of a conference, Kouame said the projects in the north-east range from investment in transportation sector to agriculture and human resources, with focus on involvement of women and adolescent girls.Our work here is still on a learning curve.

The World Bank, which has invested over 1,160 million USD in different projects of north-eastern India, is further expanding its footprints in the region, its country director Auguste Tano Kouame said here on Friday.

Currently, work on various projects in underway in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram, and Sikkim will soon be added to this list, he said.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of a conference, Kouame said the projects in the north-east range from investment in transportation sector to agriculture and human resources, with focus on involvement of women and adolescent girls.

''Our work here is still on a learning curve. There are issues at times, but those get resolved too. We have been getting good support from the Centre,'' he said.

Kouame also said that Assam has been the most active borrower from World Bank in the region, as four projects with investment of 348.6 million USD is currently underway.

The total amount of World Bank investment in the northeast currently stands Rs 1164.6 million USD, including projects worth 203 million USD in Meghalaya, 32 million USD in Mizoram and 111 million USD in Nagaland.

Besides, 470 million USD have been invested in a multi-state North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project. Kouame said a project on gender inclusion in Sikkim – the first one by World Bank in that state – is being prepared and will be rolled out soon.

The top official was in the city to attend a regional connectivity workshop titled, 'Unlocking Economic Opportunities for Northeast States', hosted by the government of Assam and the World Bank.

''The northeast region, endowed with rich natural resources, has an untapped economic potential that needs to be unlocked while capitalising on the region's proximity to the neighbouring countries,'' Kouame said at the meeting.

He said the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA), signed between India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan in June 2015 for seamless connectivity, can bring increased economic opportunities to rural communities in the north-east.

The agreement was later ratified by India, Bangladesh and Nepal, but it is yet to be fully implemented.

Cecile Fruman, World Bank's director for regional integration and engagement for the South Asia region, who was also present at the conference, spoke on the connectivity challenges of north-eastern region due to lack of access to trade routes through Bangladesh.

''The northeast region, and in particular the states that share a border with Bangladesh, can be the biggest beneficiary of the MVA, through enhanced regional trade, output, employment and improved living standards,'' Fruman added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)