NEW DELHI, Oct 13 (NNN-PTI) – Asian Development Bank (ADB) extended a 300-million-U.S. dollar loan to India, to finance sustainable water supply and sanitation infrastructure and services, in 14 towns of its western state of Rajasthan.
The loan agreement was signed between ADB Country Director, Takeo Konishi, and Additional Secretary at the Department of Economic Affairs (federal Ministry of Finance), Sameer Kumar Khare, said an official.
Khare said, the project aimed to provide better quality and more sustainable water supply and sanitation services in the project towns, that will improve quality of life in these towns.
With 10-year operation and maintenance contracts, the investments will ensure improved and sustainable service delivery, in line with the state government’s urban sector development plan.
Konishi said, ADB incorporated practical lessons from the three earlier urban sector projects it has funded in Rajasthan, since 2000, and included innovations such as the use of smart technologies and cost-effective systems.
The project will empower urban local bodies, and strengthen their institutional capacity, deepen sector reforms, and build resilience of communities to manage health pandemics.
Through the project, water supply systems in at least eight project towns are expected to improve by 2027, benefiting more than 570,000 people. Citywide sanitation systems will benefit about 720,000 people in at least 14 secondary towns.
The project will strengthen the institutional capacity of the local governments and the Rajasthan Urban Drinking Water, Sewerage, and Infrastructure Corporation Limited, a corporate entity established with the ADB’s technical support.
Enhanced support to women and vulnerable groups will be provided through skills training, paid internships, and community engagement and awareness activities, said the statement.NNN-PTI
