Three major development projects in Assam have received loans totaling USD 680 million from the World Bank. These initiatives are intended to improve governance and service delivery, increase education and workforce preparedness throughout the state, and build climate resilience. The Washington-based multilateral lender said in a statement on January 15 that its Board of Executive Directors approved the projects on Tuesday to assist Assam in responding to extreme weather events, enhance public administration, and give over four million students the skills they need to be successful in the workforce.
The biggest element is the USD 350 million Assam Disaster Resilient Hill Roads Development Project, which will concentrate on constructing climate-resilient road infrastructure, especially in challenging and steep areas. For about 190,000 individuals, mostly from rural and indigenous villages, the initiative is anticipated to increase access and shorten travel times. Additionally, improved transportation and logistics hubs with truck and container bays, bus and taxi terminals, and electric vehicle charging stations will improve connectivity.
The Assam School Education and Adolescent Wellbeing Project has been granted an additional USD 250 million. In addition to training an additional two million adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 for future work, the effort seeks to enhance learning results for over two million primary school pupils throughout the state. The curriculum will be improved, including the introduction of bilingual instruction, and life skills training will be the main focus of the program.
The third initiative, the USD 80 million Assam Governance and Service Delivery Program, aims to enhance the provision of administrative services to businesses and individuals while fortifying governmental financial management. Additionally, it will help build a strong data ecosystem to improve the state’s efficiency, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking. The World Bank claims that all three loans will have a 16-year final maturity with a three-year grace period, giving Assam long-term funding to carry out the infrastructure projects and reforms.