World Bank Logo: Robert B. Zoellick
World Bank Logo: Robert B. Zoellick
World Bank Logo: Robert B. Zoellick
[2]
to developing
The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty. According to the World Bank's Articles of Agreement (As amended effective 16 February 1989) all of its decisions must be guided by a commitment [3] to promote foreign investment, international trade and facilitate capital investment. The World Bank differs from the World Bank Group, in that the World Bank comprises only two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), whereas the latter incorporates these two in addition to three [4] more: International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes(ICSID).
Type
International organization
Legal status
Treaty
Purpose/focus
Crediting
Location
Washington DC
Membership
The World Bank is one of five institutions created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. The International Monetary Fund, a related institution, is the second. Delegates from many countries attended the Bretton Woods Conference. The most powerful countries in attendance were the United [5] States and United Kingdom, which dominated negotiations. Although both are based in Washington, D.C., the World Bank is, by custom, headed by an American, while the IMF is led by a European.
Leadership
The President of the Bank, currently Robert B. Zoellick, is responsible for chairing the meetings of the Boards of Directors and for overall management of the Bank. Traditionally, the Bank President has always been a US citizen nominated by the United States, the largest shareholder in the bank. The nominee is subject to confirmation by the Board of Executive Directors, to serve for a five-year, renewable [16] term. The Executive Directors, representing the Bank's member countries, make up the Board of Directors, usually meeting twice a week to oversee activities such as the approval of loans and guarantees, new policies, the administrative budget, country assistance strategies and borrowing and financing decisions. The Vice Presidents of the Bank are its principal managers, in charge of regions, sectors, networks and functions. There are 24 Vice-Presidents, three Senior Vice Presidents and two Executive Vice Presidents.
Voting power
In 2010, voting powers at the World Bank were revised to increase the voice of developing countries, notably China. The countries with most voting power are now the United States (15.85%), Japan (6.84%), China (4.42%), Germany (4.00%), the United Kingdom (3.75%), France (3.75%), India (2.91%), Russia (2.77%), Saudi Arabia (2.77%) and Italy (2.64%). Under the changes, known as 'Voice Reform Phase 2', countries other than China that saw significant gains included South Korea, Turkey, Mexico, Singapore, Greece, Brazil, India, and Spain. Most developed countries' voting power was reduced, along with a few poor countries such as Nigeria. The voting powers of the United States, Russia and Saudi [19][20] Arabia were unchanged. The changes were brought about with the goal of making voting more universal in regards to standards, rule-based with objective indicators, and transparent among other things. Now, developing countries have an increased voice in the "Pool Model," backed especially by Europe. Additionally, voting power is based [21] on economic size in addition to International Development Association contributions. [edit]Poverty
reduction strategies
For the poorest developing countries in the world, the bank's assistance plans are based on poverty reduction strategies; by combining a cross-section of local groups with an extensive analysis of the country's financial and economic situation the World Bank develops a strategy pertaining uniquely to the country in question. The government then identifies the country's priorities and targets for the reduction of poverty, and the World Bank aligns its aid efforts correspondingly.
Forty-five countries pledged US$25.1 billion in "aid for the world's poorest countries", aid that goes to the World Bank International Development Association (IDA) which distributes the loans to eighty poorer countries. While wealthier nations sometimes fund their own aid projects, including those for diseases, and although IDA is the recipient of criticism, Robert B. Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, said when the loans were announced on 15 December 2007, that IDA money "is the core funding that the [22] poorest developing countries rely on". [edit]Clean
The World Bank has been assigned temporary management responsibility of the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), focused on making renewable energy cost-competitive with coal-fired power as quickly as possible, but this may not continue after UN's Copenhagen climate change conference in December, [23] 2009, because of the Bank's continued investment in coal-fired power plants. [edit]Clean
Air Initiative
[24]
Clean Air Initiative (CAI) is a World Bank initiative to advance innovative ways to improve air quality in cities through partnerships in selected regions of the world by sharing knowledge and experiences. It includes electric vehicles. [edit]United
Based on an agreement between the United Nations and the World Bank in 1981, Development Business became the official source for World Bank Procurement Notices, Contract Awards, and Project [25] Approvals. In 1998, the agreement was re-negotiated, and included in this agreement was a joint venture to create an electronic version of the publication via the World Wide Web. Today,Development Business is the primary publication for all major multilateral development banks, United Nations agencies, and several national governments, many of whom have made the publication of their tenders and [26] contracts in Development Business a mandatory requirement. Currently, the subscription to "online [27] version only" is not free, but costs US$ 550. The World Bank or the World Bank Group is also a sitting observer in the United Nations Development [28] Group. [edit]Criticisms The World Bank has long been criticized by non-governmental organizations, such as the indigenous rights group Survival International, and academics, including its former Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz who is equally critical of the International Monetary Fund, the US Treasury Department, US and [29] other developed country trade negotiators. Critics argue that the so-called free market reform policies which the Bank advocates are often harmful to economic development if implemented badly, too quickly [29][30] ("shock therapy"), in the wrong sequence or in weak, uncompetitive economies. In Masters of Illusion: The World Bank and the Poverty of Nations (1996), Catherine Caufield argued that the assumptions and structure of the World Bank harms southern nations. Caufield criticized its formulaic recipes of "development". To the World Bank, different nations and regions are indistinguishable and ready to receive the "uniform remedy of development". She argued that to attain even modest success, Western practices are adopted and traditional economic structures and values abandoned. A second assumption is that poor countries cannot modernize without money and advice from abroad.
A number of intellectuals in developing countries have argued that the World Bank is deeply implicated in contemporary modes of donor and NGO imperialism, and that its intellectual contributions function to [31] blame the poor for their condition. One of the strongest criticisms of the World Bank has been the way in which it is governed. While the World Bank represents 186 countries, it is run by a small number of economically powerful countries. These countries choose the leadership and senior management of the World Bank, and so their interests [32] dominate the bank. The World Bank has dual roles that are contradictory: that of a political organization and that of a practical organization. As a political organization, the World Bank must meet the demands of donor and borrowing governments, private capital markets, and other international organizations. As an action-oriented organization, it must be neutral, specializing in development aid, technical assistance, and loans. The World Bank's obligations to donor countries and private capital markets have caused it to adopt policies [33] which dictate that poverty is best alleviated by the implementation of "market" policies. In the 1990s, the World Bank and the IMF forged the Washington Consensus, policies which included deregulation and liberalization of markets, privatization and the downscaling of government. Though the Washington Consensus was conceived as a policy that would best promote development, it was criticized for ignoring equity, employment and how reforms like privatization were carried out. Many [citation needed] now agree that the Washington Consensus placed too much emphasis on the growth of GDP, and not enough on the permanence of growth or on whether growth contributed to better living [34] standards. Some analysis shows that the World Bank has increased poverty and been detrimental to the [35] environment, public health and cultural diversity. Some critics also claim that the World Bank has consistently pushed a neoliberal agenda, imposing policies on developing countries which have been [36][37] damaging, destructive and anti-developmental. It has also been suggested that the World Bank is an instrument for the promotion of US or Western interests in certain regions of the world. South American nations have even established the Bank of the [38] South in order to reduce US influence in the region. One criticism of the bank is that the President is always a citizen of the United States, nominated by the President of the United States (though subject to the "approval" of the other member countries). There have been accusations that the decision-making structure is undemocratic as the US has a veto on some constitutional decisions with just over 16% of the [39] shares in the bank; Decisions can only be passed with votes from countries whose shares total more [40] than 85% of the bank's shares. A further criticism concerns internal management and the manner in [41] which the World Bank is said to lack accountability. Criticism of the World Bank often takes the form of protesting as seen in recent events such as the World [42] [43] [44] Bank Oslo 2002 Protests, the October Rebellion, and the Battle of Seattle. Such demonstrations [45] have occurred all over the world, even amongst the Brazilian Kayapo people. In 2008, a World Bank report which found that biofuels had driven food prices up 75% was not published. Officials confided that they believed it was suppressed to avoid embarrassing the then-President of the [46] United States, George W. Bush.
[edit]Knowledge
production
[by whom?]
The World Bank has been criticized for the manner in which it engages in "the production, accumulation, circulation and functioning" of knowledge. The Bank's production of knowledge has become integral to the funding and justification of large capital projects. The Bank relies on "a growing network of translocal scientists, technocrats, NGOs, and empowered citizens to help generate data and [47] construct discursive strategies". Its capacity to produce authoritative knowledge is a response to intense scrutiny of Bank projects resulting from the successes of growing anti-Bank and alternative[48] development movements. "Development has relied exclusively on one knowledge system, namely, the modern Western one. The dominance of this knowledge system has dictated the marginalization and [49] disqualification of non-Western knowledge systems". It has been remarked that in these alternative knowledge systems, researchers and activists might find alternative rationales to guide interventionist action away from Western (Bank-produced) ways of thinking. Knowledge production has become an [50] asset to the Bank, and "it is generated and used in highly strategic ways" to provide justifications for development. [edit]Structural
adjustment
The effect of structural adjustment policies on poor countries has been one of the most significant [51] criticisms of the World Bank. The 1979 energy crisis plunged many countries into economic crises. The World Bank responded with structural adjustment loans which distributed aid to struggling countries while enforcing policy changes in order to reduce inflation and fiscal imbalance. Some of these policies included encouraging production, investment and labour-intensive manufacturing, changing [52] real exchange rates and altering the distribution of government resources. Structural adjustment policies were most effective in countries with an institutional framework that allowed these policies to be [53] implemented easily. For some countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, economic growth [54] regressed and inflation worsened. The alleviation of poverty was not a goal of structural adjustment loans, and the circumstances of the poor often worsened, due to a reduction in social spending and an [55] increase in the price of food, as subsidies were lifted. By the late 1980s, international organizations began to admit that structural adjustment policies were worsening life for the world's poor. The World Bank changed structural adjustment loans, allowing for social spending to be maintained, and encouraging a slower change to policies such as transfer of [56] subsidies and price rises. In 1999, the World Bank and the IMF introduced the Poverty Reduction [57] Strategy Paper approach to replace structural adjustment loans. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper approach has been interpreted as an extension of structural adjustment policies as it continues to [58] reinforce and legitimize global inequities. Neither approach has addressed the inherent flaws within the [59] global economy that contribute to economic and social inequities within developing countries. By reinforcing the relationship between lending and client states, many believe that the World Bank has [60] usurped indebted countries' power to determine their own economic policy. [edit]Sovereign
immunity
[61]
Despite claiming goals of "good governance and anti-corruption the World Bank requires sovereign [62][63][64][65][66] immunity from countries it deals with. Sovereign immunity waives a holder from all legal liability for their actions. It is proposed that this immunity from responsibility is a "shield which [The World [62] Bank] wants resort to, for escaping accountability and security by the people." As the United States has [62] veto power, it can prevent the World Bank from taking action against its interests.
[edit]Environmental
strategy
The World Bank's ongoing work to develop a strategy on climate change and environmental threats has been criticized for (i) lacking of a proper overall vision and purpose, (ii) having a limited focus on its own role in global and regional governance, and (iii) having limited recognition of specific regional issues, e.g. issues of rights to food and land, and sustainable land use. Critics have also commented that only 1% of [67] the World Bank's lending goes to the environmental sector, narrowly defined. Environmentalists are urging the Bank to stop worldwide support for the development of coal plants and other large emitters of greenhouse gas and operations that are proven to pollute or damage the environment. For instance, protesters in South Africa and abroad have criticized the 2010 decision of the World Bank's approval for a US$3.75 billion loan to build the world's 4th largest coal-fired power plant in South Africa. The plant will greatly increase the demand for coal mining and corresponding harmful [68] environmental effects of coal.
Role of World Bank in India GDP is one of the most important parameters to mark the growth in Indian economy. The World Bank has been aiding the country with every possible incentive. The activities of the World Bank are like:
The World Bank works in collaboration with a number of development associates such as the government of
India, the bilateral and multilateral donor organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sectors to bring about an overall welfare of the Indian economy The World Bank operates with the help of eminent academics, scientists, economists, journalists, and teachers, all of those who are sincerely involved in the execution of various development projects designed to bring about improvement in the Gross Domestic Product of India
The World Bank not only implements its own developmental schemes but also finances various other programs One of the most effective and well-organized development plans formulated by the World Bank in collaboration with the Indian government and civil society is the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), introduced in the year 2005 CAS was incorporated in order to explicit the nature of the assistance provided by the World Bank to the developmental programmes in India Role of World Bank in India GDP includes offering finance in terms of various loans or credits, which are usually interest-free.
Ensuring a notable infrastructural development Proper environment for the betterment of the industrial units Providing special benefits to the poor and disadvantaged class of people Ensuring a sustainable growth in India's economy
The World Bank presents study on the review of various policies designed for the economy of India by the Country Economic Memoranda The public expenditure review, that is, the financial disbursement made by the development programmes in India is also reported by the research department of the World Bank The World Bank is concerned about the environmental issues faced by the industrial units and other developing sectors in India and presents a study on that The research study of the World Bank also depicts a report of various events organized by the government, media, and civil society organizations on the developmental issues of India
World Bank lending to India is organized around the following key challenges: 1. Achieving Rapid and Inclusive Growth Indias integration into the global economy has been accompanied by impressive economic growth that has brought significant economic and social benefits to the country. Nevertheless, disparities in income and human development are on the rise. A large section of the population - especially the poor, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities and women - lack access to the resources and opportunities needed to reap the benefits of economic growth. To assist the government in achieving rapid inclusive growth, the World Bank is supporting activities which address both cyclical and structural impediments to growth, as well as the constraints to making growth inclusive: Building Strong Partnerships with Low-Income States While Indias higher-income states have successfully reduced poverty to levels comparable with the richer Latin American countries, its seven poorest states - Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh -lag behind their more prosperous counterparts and are home to more than half of Indias poor. The World Bank is increasing support to kick-start development in these low-income states by helping them to develop into attractive investment destinations, and raise the standards of living of their people by improving the delivery of public services. In Bihar, the World Bank is supporting critical structural reforms (the Bihar Development Policy Loan I closed in December 2009 and a follow-on operation is under preparation), infrastructure development, and the building of rural livelihoods (Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project). The World Bank is helping the state recover from the devastating 2008 Kosi floods (Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project, $220 million), and supporting the development of a comprehensive disaster management program. A grant for Flood Management Information System is helping to reduce the states vulnerability to floods. Several Banksupported national programs such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the National Highways program also assist Bihar.
Orissa, until the turn of the millennium, was among the poorest and the most highly indebted states in the country. Today, it is recognized as a state in transition. The World Bank has supported the state for over a decade. Two World Bank Development Policy Loans/credits have supported the states own efforts at structural reform in public financial management, investment climate, governance and accountability. The Bank is also supporting investments in the state in core areas of infrastructure development (Orissa State Roads Project) and poverty reduction (Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project; Community Tanks Management Project). Agricultural and Rural Development Over the five years to 2010/11, the agriculture sector has grown at 3.4% per year on average, below the 11th plan target of 4 percent. Going forward, it will be essential for India to build a productive, competitive, and diversified agricultural sector and facilitate rural, non-farm entrepreneurship and employment. Encouraging policies that promote competition in agricultural marketing will ensure that farmers receive better prices. At around $5.5 billion in commitments and 24 projects currently under implementation by the Indian authorities, the World Banks agriculture and rural development program in India is by far the largest such program supported by the World Bank worldwide in absolute $-terms. The World Bank is involved in helping the authorities address many of the constraints which impede agricultural productivity growth and structural transformation across most of India's states. The Banks A&RD portfolio is broadly clustered across three themes: agriculture and livestock, watershed management; water resources & irrigated agriculture; and rural livelihood development. Each project, generally, shows a significant integration of these three themes. Over the past five to ten years, the Bank has engaged and continues to be involved in the following areas in support of a broad range of partners in India: Agriculture technology R&D through two national level projects with pan-India implementation (the National Agriculture Technology Project and the National Agriculture Innovation Project); New approaches towards agriculture technology dissemination associated with the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) model which has contributed to diversification of agricultural production in Assam and Uttar Pradesh; this extension approach is now being scaled-up across India; Better irrigation water delivery (ranging from large irrigation infrastructure to local tanks and ponds) as well as strengthening of water institutions in several states (for instance, AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, UP) and improved groundwater management practices (for instance, in the upcoming Rajasthan Agriculture Competitiveness Project or the West Bangal Minor Irrigation Project); Sustainable agricultural and livestock practices through watershed and rainfed agriculture development (Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand), and soil reclamation efforts (in UP); Further development of the dairy sector through support towards a renewed Operations Flood led by the National Dairy Development Board under an upcoming National Dairy Support Project.
Improved access to rural financial services and increased gender involvement in rural economic activities through rural livelihood initiatives undertaken by a number of states (for instance, AP, Bihar, MP, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu) and which is being scaled-up by GOI with Bank support through a National Rural Livelihood Mission; Agricultural insurance by advising GOI on how to improve and modify the actuarial design and implementation of the national agricultural insurance scheme; Improved farmer access to agricultural markets through policy reforms and investments under the Maharashtra Agriculture Competitiveness Project which aims to reform regulated wholesale markets and provide farmers with alternative market opportunities; and Better rural connectivity through rural infrastructure, such as our support ($1.5 billion) to the Prime Ministers National Rural Roads Program (PMGSY). Infrastructure Indias rapidly growing economy has been placing huge demands on power supply, roads, railways, ports, transportation systems, and water supply and sanitation. But, bottlenecks in both urban and rural infrastructure have been eroding the countrys competitiveness. The Government of India has increased infrastructure investments under the Eleventh Five Year Plan. However, with India's low taxation base only some 15-16% of GDP is collected as taxes in India compared to 25-40% in developed countries - the country is unable to invest the required amounts through its budgetary resources. As such, World Bank support to improving Indias infrastructure is critical, and the Bank's country strategy advocates greater investments in infrastructure as a priority to attract investment and generate employment. World Bank support to the sector includes: Improving Infrastructure: The Government is encouraging private participation in the expansion of critical infrastructure. To support this, the World Bank, in September 2009, agreed to extend$1.195 billion to the India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) to help finance public-private partnerships in infrastructure, especially in the roads, power and ports sectors. Transport: The World Bank has supported the states of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh to upgrade their state highways. It is now helping to upgrade rail and road connectivity in Mumbai; improve state highways in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Mizoram, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh; construct a section of the Golden Quadrilateral in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar; and upgrade rural roads in select districts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan,Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The Bank is also supporting the improvement of urban transport in the cities of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad in Maharastra, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Mysore in Karnataka and Naya Raipur in Chattisgarh. Finally, the Bank is planning to support the improvement of narrow national highways through the National Highway Interconnectivity Improvement Program. It also supports the Eastern Dedicated Railway Freight Corridor Projectwhich aims to increase the railways share of the freight market, thus reducing transport costs, as well as fuel consumption which could directly contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions. Energy: The Government of India is increasingly tapping its vast hydropower resources. It has set the target for an optimum power mix at 40% from hydropower and 60% from other sources. In the past, the World Bank has supported India in building its largest hydropower plant at Nathpa Jhakri in Himachal
Pradesh and is now helping the country augment the supply of hydropower. Support for the 412 MW runof-the-river Rampur Hydropower plant on the Satluj river in Himachal Pradesh is ongoing. Two other hydropower projects are in the pipeline; a 444 MW project on theAlakananda river in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, and the other at Luhri, further downstream from Rampur in Himachal Pradesh. The Bank is also supporting the efficient transmission and distribution of power to consumers. It has helped Powergrid, the national power transmission agency, to emerge as a world class agency. In September 2009, the World Bank extended a loan of $1 billion to Powergrid to strengthen and expand five transmission systems in the northern, western and southern regions of the country. At the state level, improvements in transmission and distribution are being supported in Haryana and Maharashtra. Urban Development: In the next 20-25 years, Indias urbanization level is expected to rise from the present 30% to 40- 50%, with over 60 cities of 1 million plus population contributing about 70% of Indias GDP. Yet, Indias growing cities and towns face major challenges in creating adequate infrastructure including in the transportation, water, solid waste, and power sectors. The World Bank is helping streamline urban transport in Mumbai and improve the delivery of urban civic services in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The Bank has also sought to bring in global best practices in the urban water sector. A successful pilot has helped to provide continuous, reliable water supply in three urban areas in Karnataka. Going forward, it will be essential for India to introduce policy and institutional reforms in land use planning, municipal finance, institutional models, and invest in infrastructure and service delivery to manage its cities efficiently. While state governments have the more critical role in transforming Indias cities, the Government of Indias support through national programs is significant and can be used to incentivize urban reforms. Financial Sector Development and Support to Small and Medium Enterprises: Longer-term local currency financing, which could fund large scale infrastructure projects, is in short supply in India. Moreover, poorer households and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have limited access to banking services, while insurance and equity market penetration in rural areas remains very low. In September 2009, the World Bank agreed to extend budgetary support of $2 billion to the Government of India in support of its economic stimulus measures to counter the effects of the global financial crisis. This included the injection of capital into some public sector banks to help ensure the expansion of good credit to the SME sector, as well as for the development of infrastructure and the rural economy. The Bank also continues to fund the implementation of the Government of Indias financial sector reform program, support rural credit cooperatives - which are crucial for channeling agricultural credit to farmers, and provide technical assistance for improving the Government's agricultural insurance program, including weather-indexed insurance for farmers. It is also supporting SIDBI in scaling up sustainable and responsible microfinance to the under-served areas of the country. 2. Ensuring Development is Sustainable Indias remarkable economic growth has been clouded by a degrading environment. The country is also very vulnerable to climate change on account of its high levels of population density, poverty, stressed ecological systems, and a substantial dependence on natural resources of much of Indias population. The following areas will thus require long-term vision and urgent action: Protecting Indias fragile environment - air, water, forests and bio-diversity - in the face of the rising pressures created by economic success Adapting to climate change and the growing scarcity of water
Coping with accelerating urbanization through strengthened environmental management Improving energy efficiency and ensuring adequate energy supplies
urban
governance
and
The World Bank is in the process of articulating a vision for an environmentally sustainable future for India (India 2030). Its $1 billion National Ganga River Basin Project supports the the Government of India in cleaning up and conserving the iconic Ganga River. Other projects assist state agencies in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to build human and technical capacity to clean up polluted industrial sites, as well as support the country in promoting new models for conserving biodiversity while improving rural livelihoods.Support to the sector includes: Water: Climate change could impact India more than most other countries, and its impact will most likely be felt first and foremost in the water sector. The World Bank has therefore piloted a new Drought Adaptation Initiative in Andhra Pradesh that will help farmers adapt to warmer and more drought-like conditions. An Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project that seeks to protect India's coastal areas while also ensuring the livelihoods of the people living along the coastline is in the pipeline. The Bank has also completed studies on groundwater resources and low carbon growth. Energy: The World Bank is supporting India in its efforts to produce clean, efficient, and renewable energy. It is helping the country to tap the hydropower resources in the Himalayan region, as well as supporting the rehabilitation of old and inefficient coal-fired power plants in West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Haryana. The Bank is also helping to strengthen Powergrid's power transmission networks to ensure that the power produced reaches consumers efficiently and losses in transmission are reduced. It is also seeking to expand support for promoting energy efficiency in various sectors ranging from small and medium enterprise, to chillers. 3. Increasing the Effectiveness of Service Delivery Most public programs suffer from varying degrees of ineffectiveness, poor targeting, and wastage of resources. In the current economic climate, India will have to dramatically improve the impact of every rupee spent. The World Bank is working with the Government of India to improve the delivery of key public services through systemic governance and institutional reforms of public sector service providers, decentralization of responsibilities, promoting effective systems of transparency and accountability, effective monitoring of service delivery, and expanding the role of non-state service providers. Elementary Education: Since 2001, India has brought some 20 million children into school under the worlds largest elementary education program the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). Many of Indias states are now approaching universal primary enrollment or have already achieved it. Since 2003, World Bank support has helped scale up the program, improve the quality of learning, and assess learning outcomes. World Bank evaluations and research have provided recommendations for improvements. The program is now focused on bringing the hardest-to-reach children into primary school, raising access to upper primary education, and improving retention and learning outcomes. Secondary Education: With improved enrolment and retention in elementary school, the need for universalizing secondary education as a means to break the cycle of poverty has gained importance. The World Bank is preparing to support the Government of Indias new centrally sponsored scheme for secondary education, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), with an estimated $500 million. This support is largely based on its analysis of secondary education published in 2009 (Vol 1; & Vol 2 )
Skills: Equally important is the building of skills among Indias rapidly rising work force, whose ranks are joined by some 8-9 million new entrants each year. Presently, nearly 44 % of Indias labor force is illiterate and only 17 % has secondary schooling. Moreover, the quality of most graduates is poor and employers offer very little upgrading of skills; only 16% of Indian manufacturers offer in-service training compared to over 90% in China. To help produce engineers of international standards, the World Bank has supported improvements in the quality of education in engineering institutes in 13 states. It is also supporting 400 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to become centers of excellence in technical skills that are in demand. Much of this support is based on research conducted by the World Bank on improving the vocational education and training system for skill development in India. Health: The health sector in India presents a mixed picture. Despite continuous improvements in health indicators, progress is slow and has not matched the impressive gains in economic growth during the past decade. Inadequate access to effective and good quality health services for a large proportion of the population largely accounts for the slow improvement in health outcomes. To help India achieve the MDGs for health, the World Bank increasingly focuses on improving local systems and technical capacity (quality enhancement, supply chain management, supervision, etc.) and strengthening accountabilities (human resource management, monitoring, evaluation, etc.) with the aim of creating an enabling institutional and system environment that would facilitate and leverage governments capacity to translate resources into effective service delivery. Ongoing World Bank projects support national programs for disease control - such as kala azar, polio and malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB. They also support child nutrition and reproductive and child health programs. The latter has contributed to important reductions in child and maternal mortality.Other projects are working to strengthen state-level systems for rural healthcare (Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka), as well as national programs for food and drug regulation, and disease surveillance. The Bank has previously successfully supported India in eliminating leprosy as a national health problem, and in bringing the WHO- recommended DOTS TB treatment to all districts in the country. The Bank is currently working with India to curb the HIV epidemic and reduce HIV prevalence, having halved new infections over the past decade, and averted an estimated 3 million HIV infections. The Bank is providing technical support to nine federal- and state-sponsored health insurance schemes to assist them in extending population coverage, improving quality and containing cost escalation. Finally, the Bank is supporting cutting-edge analytic work involving human resource management, public sector management in state health secretariats and impact evaluation of government health programs. Safety Nets: The global economic crisis has lent new urgency to strengthening social protection and safety nets for the poor and vulnerable. The World Bank is in the process of extending support to the Government of India for the Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) - or National Health Insurance Scheme - to expand and improve the effectiveness of health insurance for households below the poverty line. Once the scheme reaches maturity it is expected that nearly 300 million individuals would receive coverage. The Bank has been providing technical assistance and analytic work at the national and state levels to help improve the coverage, management and delivery of social protection benefits, to include pensions and old age security, disability (including a national assessment of disability initiatives) public workfare and improving social safety nets for the urban poor. Much of the recent support draws from the first ever national review and analysis of social protection schemes in India, published in 2011 (Vol 1; & Vol 2 ). Water Supply and Sanitation: The Banks Water Supply and Sanitation projects focus on improving access to water and sanitation services in a cost effective and sustainable manner.
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation: Since 1991, World Bank support has helped India first pilot and then scale up the RWSS Reform Program, supporting the evolution of models for the provision of efficient and sustainable services. Bank projects (in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh) have continued to increase the role of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and improve the recovery of operations and management costs. In all, the Bank will soon have provided over $1.4 billion in support to the sector, benefiting about 25 million rural people so far. Urban Water Supply and Sanitation: The Karnataka Urban Water Supply Improvement Project has demonstrated that 24x7 water supply is indeed possible in urban India. This has led to increased demand for such services around the country. In addition, comprehensive studies are being undertaken to infform the service improvement agenda.
Lending
Total IBRD/IDA Commitments as of end June 2011 (FY11): $25.6 billion
Commitments New Lending Total Commitments (Active Projects) Total Number of Active Projects
Note: The World Banks Fiscal Year (FY) runs from July to June i.e. FY '11 runs from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. India's Debt Service Payments
For the current Fiscal Year the chart shows total commitment amount to date.Total lending includes IBRD, IDA, GEF/GEF Medium size/Carbon Offset projects. Click here to customize your lending report. Data update frequency : monthly
For the current Fiscal Year the chart shows the number of approved projects to date. Data update frequency : monthly
Current Lending by Sector in Millions of US Dollars approved in current Fiscal Year* - India
*World Bank Fiscal Year is from July 1 through June 30. **Total commitment amount is the amount the Bank has agreed to lend to the project at the time of the project's approval .Total lending includes IBRD, IDA, GEF/GEF Medium size/Carbon Offset projects.Click here to customize your lending report . Data update frequency:monthly