• Huge! World Bank approves USD 391 million for Assam, Tripura to boost healthcare, economic opportunities

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    Huge! World Bank approves USD 391 million for Assam, Tripura to boost healthcare, economic opportunities

    "This project will improve the quality and efficiency of health care in the state and may serve as a model for healthcare innovations in India's Northeast and beyond."

    Digital Desk: The
    World Bank
    's Board of Executive Directors approved $391 million in funding
    today to expand access to high-quality healthcare services and economic
    prospects in India's northeastern regions of Assam and Tripura.



    "The
    World Bank is committed to supporting the Government of India's development
    efforts in the northeast of the country," stated Auguste Tano Kouame,
    World Bank Country Director for India. "In Assam, increased access to
    dependable health services will help people save money and time, as well as be
    more productive." Access to improved all-weather roads and green
    agriculture technologies in Tripura would assist enhance the lives and
    livelihoods of indigenous inhabitants, particularly women."



    The
    $251 million Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery
    Transformation (ASSIST)
    Project would increase access to high-quality secondary
    healthcare services in Assam and directly assist at least 1.8 million people.
    The initiative will improve treatment and management of noncommunicable
    diseases as well as increase access to comprehensive emergency obstetric and
    newborn care services. In addition, the project would upgrade up to ten
    lower-level facilities to district hospitals in critical districts, as well as
    increase the capacity of nurses and healthcare management to provide better
    service.



    "Assam
    has made strides in increasing access to essential healthcare services, with 87
    percent of women giving birth in a facility today compared to just 24 percent
    in 2005," said team leaders Amith Nagaraj and Elina Pradhan.
    "However, the rise in noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension and
    diabetes poses a double burden on the state's healthcare system." "This
    project will improve the quality and efficiency of health care in the state and
    may serve as a model for healthcare innovations in India's Northeast and
    beyond."


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    The
    Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project ($140 million)
    intends to promote socioeconomic growth and improve the quality of life for
    142,000 households in tribal blocks, which are territories where tribal
    populations live and work. More than 400 km of rural roads will be converted to
    all-weather highways, improving access to markets for farmers and communities
    living in steep and forested areas. Climate-smart agriculture, which will aid
    in the production of fruits and vegetables, will benefit approximately 75,000
    households. The project will also invest in secondary school students' learning
    outcomes by expanding enrollments for boys and training teachers.



    Team
    leaders Priti Kumar, Anna O'Donnell, and Tesfamichael Nahusenay stated that the
    investments made as part of this project "will be instrumental in
    diversifying local economies, generating new jobs and skills, and directly
    contributing to human capital development, while also reducing vulnerability to
    the impacts of climate change."



    The
    International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) provided the $251
    million variable spread loan for Assam and the $140 million loan for Tripura.
    Both loans have a 10.5-year maturity with a five-year grace period.