World Bank clears immediate assistance of Rs 388 crore for Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The World Bank has cleared the utilisation of savings of around $55 million (Rs 388 crore) under various ongoing projects funded by the bank as immediate financial assistance to flood-ravaged Kerala for its reconstruction. The decision came in discussions between a World Bank team and the state government on Wednesday.
The ongoing projects funded by the bank in the state include the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), Jalanidhi, National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) phase-II and Kerala State Transport Project phase-II. The KSTP and Jalanidhi are tailor-made projects for the state while the other projects cover other states also.

The DRIP envisages repair and rehabilitation of around 225 dam projects across seven states and the World Bank assistance to the state is Rs 280 crore for 28 dams. The Rs 2361.35-crore NCRMP is being implemented in Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal to address the vulnerability of the coastal community to cyclone, of which the state’s share is Rs 158.95 crore.

The KSTP-II, aimed at improving the condition, traffic flow and safety with a focus on vulnerable road users on select roads in the state, has a World Bank share of $216 million (Rs 1524.3 crore). The Jalanidhi phase II envisages increasing the access of rural communities to improved and sustainable water supply and sanitation services in Kerala, to which the bank assistance is $155.3 million (Rs 1093.6 crore).

The bank will also undertake a rapid need analysis on the basis of inputs from the state and finalise further financial assistance to the state.

The World Bank team, headed by acting country director Hisham Abdo held discussions with the state government team led by chief secretary Tom Jose. The team also met chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the day-long deliberations with top officials of departments that suffered heavy losses in floods.