World Bank eases norms for Rs 1,280-cr water project in Punjab

The World Bank has agreed to relax norms for Rs 1,280-crore rural water supply scheme in Punjab.

There appeared to be uncertaintity in view of the norms of the World Bank that meant that each household under the scheme would have to contribute Rs 1,500 in case of general category and Rs 750 in case of reserve categories.

Punjab chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal said that he had a series of meetings in Delhi with top officials from the World Bank to relax the norms in case of Punjab. He said the World Bank had now agreed to relax the norms and now each household would contribute Rs 750 in case of general category and Rs 375 per household in case of scheduled caste population.

The World Bank has further relaxed norms for people living in problem areas and the contribution has now been reduced to Rs 400 and Rs 200 per household in case of general and SC population for the problem areas like Kandi, bet, border and water logged from the earlier contribution of Rs 800 and Rs 400 per household.

Eyeing elections, Punjab has also announced funds to the tune of about Rs 300 crore for 128 municipal committees and nagar Panchayats with in 15 days to undertake various development schemes to upgrade existing infrastructure of street lighting, tubewells and roads.

Under this, 26 municipalities under category-I would be provided Rs 3 crore each, likewise 41 and 27 category-II and III municipalities would be given Rs 2 crore and Rs1 crore each respectively, besides Rs1 crore each to 34 Nagar Panchayats for the execution of development activities.

Badal also revealed that five corporation cities had already been given grant of Rs 550 crore for the integrated urban development of Amritsar (Rs 165 crore), Jalandhar (Rs 101 crore), Ludhiana (Rs 100 crore), Patiala (Rs 80 crore) and Bathinda (Rs 99 crore).

The Punjab chief minister disclosed that apart from this the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) had sanctioned a loan of Rs 500 crore for water supply, sewerage and sewerage treatment plants in the rural segment of the state.

The state government had already sanctioned funds worth Rs 850 crore for water supply, sewerage, sewerage treatment plants and other schemes like slum development. Referring to the allocation of the Rural Development Fund, Badal disclosed that Rs4 crore each would be disbursed in each assembly constituency thereby totaling to Rs 334 crore.