The World Bank-assisted projects worth Rs 8,160.81 crore top the list which also includes Japan-based Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund aided projects to the tune of Rs 1,059.14 crore, KFW German-assisted project- Rs 104.22 crore, European Economy Community Fund-Rs 144.25 crore, British government assisted project- Rs 70.34 crore and International Fund for Agricultural Development Rs 1,023.81 crore.

The state proposes to undertake additional externally aided projects worth Rs 14,889.77 crore during the ninth plan. These include Mumbai urban transport-Rs 3,000 crore, Maharashtra Water Supply and Sanitation projects- Rs 9,000 crore, black topping of roads-Rs 1,000 crore, state road project-Rs1,000 crore and Maharashtra water resources consolidated project-Rs 600 crore. Chief minister Manohar Joshi told reporters here on Tuesday that the government had not received any formal communication from these agencies. He, however, hoped that the state would receive the required loan from these agencies.

Joshi said that the government had received aid worth Rs 953.23 crore from these agencies till March 31, 1998. He said the state would announce a new financial package for scarcity-hit farmers in the next couple of days. The government was also seeking from the centre the maximum possible help and talks had already been held with the prime minister. The state government had also urged the centre to send a high-level team to gauge the situation.

Joshi said the farmers of Vidarbha were the worst hit as the crop loss was over 80 per cent. There was acute scarcity of water in the Marathwada region and orders had been issued to use water tankers. The chief minister said that fresh relief to be announcedwould be well over the assistance already disbursed to farmers many of whom were unable to repay their loans due to crop failure. The government, he added, would follow a uniform principle in helping farmers in all districts without any discrimination on the causes of crop losses.