Project Signing: Government of India and World Bank Sign US$ 75 Million Agreement to Improve Incomes and Nutrition Status in Backward Areas of Andhra Pradesh

The FINANCIAL -- The Government of India, the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the World Bank on November 17 signed a US$ 75 million credit for the Andhra Pradesh Rural Inclusive Growth Project to enhance agricultural incomes of small and marginal farmers and ensure increased access to services related to health, nutrition, sanitation and social entitlements.  

The project will focus on increasing economic opportunities for small and marginal farmers, especially from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in the 150 most backward mandals (cluster of villages across gram panchayats) of the state. It will invest in developing a network of social enterprises for food, nutrition, sanitation and other social enterprises which operate at community and district level. It will also support the Government of Andhra Pradesh in its efforts at creating an enabling policy framework, and enhancing market access for farmers with real time analytics across sectors. Several Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with leading private sector organizations are being planned to enable farmers to better access markets. Investments will also be made in improving access to services in the areas of health, nutrition, and water and sanitation and increasing coverage and effectiveness of India’s social safety net programs, according to the World Bank.

“The project seeks to incorporate insights from national and international poverty reduction programs that have emphasized the value of linking such initiatives with small and marginal producers, using innovative approaches to human development, and improving coverage and delivery of social entitlement programs for the poor,” said Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. 

The credit agreement for the project was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; Sunitha Kolaventy, Finance Secretary, on behalf of the Government of Andhra Pradesh; and Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director in India, on behalf of the World Bank.  Solomon Arokiaraj, the Chief Executive Officer of Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, the implementing agency was also present.

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Taken from FINCHANNEL.com