Nitish seeks Rs 3000 crore from World Bank for Panchayat Bhawan

Patna, Feb 12 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today sought loan of Rs 3000 crore from World Bank to construct Panchayat Bhawan at every Panchayat in the state.

The bhawan would also be developed as ''Shelter'' to be used during natural calamities like flood and earthquake.

After a high level meeting with a delegation of representatives from World Bank, Asian Development Bank, DFID of Britain and JBIC of Japan, Mr Kumar told reporters here that senior officers of the leading Banks and financial instituions prepared a ''Concept note'' enlisting their area of interests for granting loans and aide to different spheres of development and welfare programmes.

'' It was afirst instance of its kind in the country that coherent initiatives were taken by various international funding agencies to offer assistance in development of the state, '' he said adding this sort of attempt would save precious time which was earlier spent in finalising the modalities for assistance.

The preparation of ''Concept note'' will also remove the chances of ''overlapping'' of assistance by different financial institutions in same sector of development and welfare activities, he pointed out.

'' The performance of the Bihar government during the past two years was found to be satisfactory by the international funding agencies and they had evinced interests in various arena of infrastructural development, '' Mr Kumar said.

The ADB had expresed its interest for funding the thermal power projects, while the JBIC had taken up the construction works of roads of the Buddha circuit, and Patna-Bodh Gaya road was one of its important components, he added.

The World Bank had already given assistance for ongoing livelihood projects in Bihar, he stated.

Those, who participated in the meeting, were Ms Isabel Guerrero, Country Director, India, Ms Susana Moorehead, Head DFID, India, Mr Tadashi Kondo, Country Director, India, and Mr Mitsunori-Representative of JBIC.

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