Question: Consider the following statements regarding Rebuild Kerala Initiative:
(1) The Government of India, the Government of Kerala and the World Bank signed a Loan Agreement of USD 250 million.
(2) The New Program is part of the Government of India’s support to Kerala’s Rebuild Kerala Development Programme aimed at building a green and resilient Kerala.
From the above, correct statement/s is/are:
(a) Only (1)
(b) Only (2)
(c) Both (1) and (2)
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c)
Related facts:
- The Government of India, the Government of Kerala and the World Bank signed a Loan Agreement of USD 250 million (approximately Rs.1700 Crore) for the First Resilient Kerala Program on 28th June, 2019.
- The program objective is to enhance the State of Kerala resilience against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
- The Resilient Kerala Program will focus on strengthening the State’s institutional and financial capacity to protect the assets and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable groups through an inclusive and participatory approach.
- The New Program is part of the Government of India’s support to Kerala’s Rebuild Kerala Development Programme aimed at building a green and resilient Kerala.
- This partnership will identify key areas of policy and institutional strengthening to maximize development impact.
- The Loan Agreement was signed by Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare on behalf of the Government of India, and Mr. Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank India.
- The World Bank has been working closely with the Government of India and Kerala Government since the floods struck in August 2018 in assessing the impact of the floods and assisting in recovery and reconstruction.
- The Program, which represents the First State Partnership of the World Bank in India, is the First of two Development Policy Operations aiming to mainstream disaster and climate resilience into critical infrastructure and services.
The Program aims to support the State with
- Improved river basin planning and water infrastructure operations management, water supply and sanitation services.
- Resilient and sustainable agriculture, enhanced agriculture risk insurance.
- Improved resilience of the core road network.
- Unified and more up-to-date land records in high risk areas.
- Risk-based urban planning and strengthened expenditure planning by urban local bodies.
- Strengthened fiscal and public financial management capacity of the state.
Other Drives
- The World Bank has been supporting the State through engagements such as the Second Kerala State Transport Project, Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project, National Hydrology Project, National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Phase 2 and the Kerala Local Government and Service Delivery Project.
Links:
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=190970
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/loans-credits/2019/06/27/india-first-resilient-kerala-program-development-policy-operation
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/world-bank-approves-loan-for-rebuild-kerala-initiative/articleshow/69998482.cms