Improve delivery of core public services: World Bank

Hyderabad, Aug 29: The World Bank's flagship report for India, ''Development Policy Review (DPR) 2006'', emphasised the need for improving the delivery of core public services such as health care, education, power and water supply.

Releasing the DPR 2006, titled '' Inclusive Growth and Service Delivery: Building on India's Success'' here, leading economist of India and World Bank Dipak Dasgupta said, ''the report stresses the importance of ensuring that public money was spent through institutional reform of the public sector that creates effective systems of accountability.'' He said the report suggested four avenues for reform that can promote effective systems of public sector accountability, internal reform of public sector agencies, producing regular and reliable information for citizens, strengthen local governments and decentralizing responsibilites and expand the role of non-state providers.

Commenting on the report, Lant Pritchett, the author of the report said, ''for India the improvement of the delivery of core public services such as water, power supply, health care, education and transportation were possible only through institutional reforms''.

UNI