CHANDIGARH, JULY 15
In a bid to projecting Punjab as a global destination on the international map of tourism, the World Bank (WB) today offered to fund the projects for the promotion of religious, heritage, health and ethnic tourism in the state and asked the Punjab government to work out modalities in this regard.
A four-member WB team led by its Country Director Mr. Onno Ruhl today called on the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, to discuss the modalities for the promotion of tourism here at CMO this morning.
Taking part in the deliberations, Mr. Ruhl said that he had already made similar offer to the Pakistan Punjab to develop its tourism and now we were inviting Indian Punjab to promote tourism here as both the eastern and western Punjab share a common cultural affinity and glorious cultural heritage. Mr. Ruhl further impressed the Chief Minister to send a detailed proposal of different tourism projects to be developed through financial assistance of WB for seeking its requisite approval prior to the process for getting this project technically sanctioned from the bank. He appreciated the efforts of the state government for getting the Dera Baba Nanak-Kartarpur corridor opened through the mutual initiatives of national governments Indian and Pakistan. He hoped that such initiatives would go a long way for the promotion of tourism in the sub continent, as the people of Indian and Pakistan Punjab enjoyed natural bonding due to same language, dialect and even cuisine. He further said that this would certainly bring in far more synergy and coordination in the efforts for giving impetus to the tourism in the region.
Referring to the WB aided Punjab Rural Water & Sanitation Sector Improvement Program (PRWSS), the Chief Minister urged Mr. Ruhl to allow the state government to initiate PRWSS Project Phase II of Rs.2200 crore in January 2015 instead of after March 2015. Mr. Badal was apprised in the meeting that this project under appraisal with WB by a team headed by Mr. S. Podipireddy, TTL WB Project was cleared by Washington Office on May 1, 2014. The Chief Minister also sought technical and financial support from WB for setting up of skill development centers to impart technical training to the youth besides helping the state to revamp the century old Canal system in the state which was now in extremely dilapidated condition and was unable to carry the adequate quantity of water for irrigating the fields. Mr. Ruhl assured that an expert of global level of World Bank is likely to visit Punjab in September 2014 who will take forward this dialogue and assess how World Bank can assist in this sector of agricultural & irrigation in Punjab.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress of ongoing World Bank Aided Rural Water Supply Project closing in December 2014, Mr. Ruhl stressed that Implementation of the new project should be taken up as per the old pattern of SWAP being followed in the first Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Project. The Country Director also agreed to a request from Mr. Badal regarding deposit of the beneficiary contribution for the poorest households by the village panchayats from its own sources. Likewise, Mr. Ruhl also agreed to make efforts for pre-poning the commencement of new project with sanction from World Bank Washington Office in January 2015. In addition broad outlines of the new World Bank Project under appraisal with the WB team worth Rs. 2200 crore (354 million$) were also finalized . In order to make Punjab Open Defecation Free, the World Bank team also agreed to have a look for an effective sustainable design for construction of twin leach pit toilet for water logged areas.
Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Cabinet Minister Mr. Surjeet Singh Rakhra, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar, Secretary Tourism Mrs. Raji P Srivastva and Chief Technical Coordinator Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Department Mr. SR Aggarwal.
The WB team was represented by Manager Rural Development South Asia Region Ms. Shobha Shetty, Senior Water and Sanitation Expert Mr. Srinivasa Rao Poidireddy and Expert Rural Development Mr. Gutanjali Chaturvedi.
====balbirsingh227@gmail.com
In a bid to projecting Punjab as a global destination on the international map of tourism, the World Bank (WB) today offered to fund the projects for the promotion of religious, heritage, health and ethnic tourism in the state and asked the Punjab government to work out modalities in this regard.
A four-member WB team led by its Country Director Mr. Onno Ruhl today called on the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, to discuss the modalities for the promotion of tourism here at CMO this morning.
Taking part in the deliberations, Mr. Ruhl said that he had already made similar offer to the Pakistan Punjab to develop its tourism and now we were inviting Indian Punjab to promote tourism here as both the eastern and western Punjab share a common cultural affinity and glorious cultural heritage. Mr. Ruhl further impressed the Chief Minister to send a detailed proposal of different tourism projects to be developed through financial assistance of WB for seeking its requisite approval prior to the process for getting this project technically sanctioned from the bank. He appreciated the efforts of the state government for getting the Dera Baba Nanak-Kartarpur corridor opened through the mutual initiatives of national governments Indian and Pakistan. He hoped that such initiatives would go a long way for the promotion of tourism in the sub continent, as the people of Indian and Pakistan Punjab enjoyed natural bonding due to same language, dialect and even cuisine. He further said that this would certainly bring in far more synergy and coordination in the efforts for giving impetus to the tourism in the region.
Referring to the WB aided Punjab Rural Water & Sanitation Sector Improvement Program (PRWSS), the Chief Minister urged Mr. Ruhl to allow the state government to initiate PRWSS Project Phase II of Rs.2200 crore in January 2015 instead of after March 2015. Mr. Badal was apprised in the meeting that this project under appraisal with WB by a team headed by Mr. S. Podipireddy, TTL WB Project was cleared by Washington Office on May 1, 2014. The Chief Minister also sought technical and financial support from WB for setting up of skill development centers to impart technical training to the youth besides helping the state to revamp the century old Canal system in the state which was now in extremely dilapidated condition and was unable to carry the adequate quantity of water for irrigating the fields. Mr. Ruhl assured that an expert of global level of World Bank is likely to visit Punjab in September 2014 who will take forward this dialogue and assess how World Bank can assist in this sector of agricultural & irrigation in Punjab.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress of ongoing World Bank Aided Rural Water Supply Project closing in December 2014, Mr. Ruhl stressed that Implementation of the new project should be taken up as per the old pattern of SWAP being followed in the first Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Project. The Country Director also agreed to a request from Mr. Badal regarding deposit of the beneficiary contribution for the poorest households by the village panchayats from its own sources. Likewise, Mr. Ruhl also agreed to make efforts for pre-poning the commencement of new project with sanction from World Bank Washington Office in January 2015. In addition broad outlines of the new World Bank Project under appraisal with the WB team worth Rs. 2200 crore (354 million$) were also finalized . In order to make Punjab Open Defecation Free, the World Bank team also agreed to have a look for an effective sustainable design for construction of twin leach pit toilet for water logged areas.
Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Cabinet Minister Mr. Surjeet Singh Rakhra, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar, Secretary Tourism Mrs. Raji P Srivastva and Chief Technical Coordinator Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Department Mr. SR Aggarwal.
The WB team was represented by Manager Rural Development South Asia Region Ms. Shobha Shetty, Senior Water and Sanitation Expert Mr. Srinivasa Rao Poidireddy and Expert Rural Development Mr. Gutanjali Chaturvedi.
====balbirsingh227@gmail.com
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