Karnataka-World Bank Extend Water, Sanitation And Smokeless Stove Program to 1,650 villages

The Government of Karnataka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Bank to extend the ongoing Karnataka Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project to 1,650 villages in the State, reports the Deccan Herald. Apart from water and sanitation works, the project which is called Jal Nirmal Project (JNP) involves promotion of smokeless stoves.

The project works for rejuvenation of ground water sources, village internal lanes, drainage works, promotion of smokeless chulhas and activities for institutional strengthening and capacity building of panchayat raj institutions.

The project commenced on July 1, 2010 and is expected to be completed by June 2013.

According to the Deccan Herald, the World Bank will finance up to 85 per cent of the project, while the State Government and the local communities will contribute the remaining 15 per cent. Under the project, an estimated 40 lakh people in rural areas of Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bidar, Bijapur, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Koppal, Raichur and Uttara Kannada, will get access to efficient and clean drinking water supply.

The MoU, signed by the RD&PR department Principal Secretary P Ravi Kumar and World Bank representative Ben Eijbergen at Vidhana Soudha, will enable the Government to avail Rs 816-crore long-term loan from the World Bank for the project.

Anup K. Pujari, Joint Secretary, Economic Affairs of the Centre, P. Ravi Kumar, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, and Ben Eijbergen, Sector Coordinator, Infrastructure and Lead Transport Specialist, World Bank, India, signed the project in the presence of Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath.

Read here the Deccan Herald Story

Presentation on Jal Nirmal Project