Five states on ADB aid radar
Centre aims at improving infrastructure, water resources

Guwahati, Nov. 22: The Asian Development Bank has prioritised investment in infrastructure, better governance and improved social services in five northeastern states.

According to sources, this is being done in keeping with the Centre’s policy to speed up development in Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Meghalaya.

The Centre aims at reducing poverty and regional disparities by ensuring infrastructure development, access to basic physical infrastructure, agriculture development and improved water resources management, strengthening governance, social inclusion and reducing inter-state disparities.

The bank is now going ahead to provide technical assistance under multi-state and multi-sector project management capacity building project to strengthen managerial, implementation and institutional capabilities of the five state governments and project management units responsible for the implementation of the ADB-financed programmes in the Northeast.

The technical assistance will be coming up for approval within this year.

Timely delivery of project benefits will lead to an inclusive economic growth in the five states, sources said.

It will help in enhancing project processing and administration, developing implementation capacity of state agencies and building public relations and improving policy dialogue.

There are two main components of technical assistance.

The first component will be establishment of an extended office in the Northeast besides creation and training of a support team for project management.

The second will support preparation of a suitable management information system and introduction of project management units.

The technical assistance is proposed to be implemented over a period of 26 months from January 2010 to February 2012.

The ADB has already approved the North East Region Capital Cities Development-Phase I recently which will improve the urban environment and promote reforms for sustainable, efficient and responsive urban service delivery in Agartala , Aizawl, Kohima, Gangtok and Shillong — capitals of the five states.

The physical investments involve improvement in water supply, sanitation and sewerage and infrastructure for solid waste management.

The expected outcome of the investment programme will be an improved urban environment and better living condition for the 1.4 million people expected to be living in the cities by 2017.