GUWAHATI, June 18 – In a major boost to the State’s agrarian economy, the World Bank (WB) has decided to sanction a loan worth Rs 901 crore to Assam for undertaking various projects under the Assam Agricultural Competitive Project (ACCP) 2004-09. The ACCP Task Manager Robert Epworth conveyed the good news to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi when he led a team to meet the latter at the Janata Bhawan here today.
The total loan component, together with the state’s contribution, would come to around Rs 966.82 crore. Of this, 47 percent would be spent on rural roads, 26 percent on agriculture and farm mechanisation, 13 percent on forest pilot project under joint forest management and seven percent on marketing of agricultural and horticultural products.
Of the loan amount, to be sanctioned by the WB in August, Rs 387 crore would be spent this year, Rs 167 crore the next year and Rs 152 crore, Rs 133 crore and Rs 127 crore respectively in the subsequent years covering the 2004-09 period.
Appreciating the good work done by the State Government in implementing the ongoing WB aided projects, Epworth underscored the need for good management practices to meet any exigency. The Chief Minister, on his part, assured the WB team that the Government would expedite the process of simplifying rules and procedures and post suitable persons at right places to accelerate the pace of implementation of the projects. It was decided during the meeting that the existing gaps in rural roads infrastructure in eight districts of the State would be filled up with WB assistance. While the State Government demanded 1,500 tractors to speed up agricultural and farm mechanisation, the WB said it would provide half that number for the time being with the provision for raising the numbers if there was a demand.
Following the State Government’s plea for loans for the sericulture industry, the WB decided to carry out an in-depth study on the sericulture industry to assess its strengths and weaknesses to formulate a pilot project. In this regard, the Chief Minister appraised the visiting delegation about the prospects of the sericulture industry and the need to pump funds to make it vibrant and resilient.
The fisheries sector also came up for discussion with the WB officials insisting on a Fish Seed Act to stop hybridisation. The State Government, however, pointed out that the existing rules were enough to serve the purpose. On the diary sector, the WB called for making it economically viable by ensuring formation of Diary cooperatives with powers delegated to the Diary Development Corporation.
Livestock services, especially regarding production of high quality semen at reasonable price, and raising the efficiency of the existing staff through proper training to render the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry sector self-sufficient within the next five years, also came up for discussion.