Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

U.P. to get World Bank aid

LUCKNOW: The World Bank has agreed to provide financial assistance of around Rs.18,000 crore to Uttar Pradesh for poverty alleviation and other programmes related to improving the economic lot of the rural poor.

In addition, the world’s premier lending agency has agreed to help the State Government in development of infrastructure like roads, electricity, employment, irrigation, health, agriculture and rural projects till 2012.

This was the outcome of a meeting between Chief Minister Mayawati and the World Bank’s Country Director for India, Isabella M. Gurerro, here on Thursday. The Chief Minister apprised the World Bank official that her Government was committed to removal of poverty and unemployment and providing basic facilities to all sections of the population.

Ms. Mayawati impressed upon Ms. Gurero that UP should be treated as a special case and more funds should be made available to the State.Ms. Mayawati said that apart from being the State with the largest population, the majority of people in UP lived in the villages. The maximum population was those of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes and Other Backward Classes and the poor among the upper castes.

The Chief Minister said her Government had launched several schemes for improving their lot.

Ms. Mayawati expressed optimism that the World Bank would agree to provide financial assistance in keeping with the development needs of the State and assured the Country Director that efforts would be made to follow the Bank’s suggestions.

Ms. Gurerro noted that UP was making rapid strides in development and said the Bank would be ready to help in removing poverty from the region. Since UP has the largest population in the country, poverty was a huge challenge, she said, adding that poverty alleviation in UP would mean finishing poverty in India.

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