New Delhi: India today signed a $400 million project with the World Bank for providing social assistance to the poor and vulnerable households, severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second operation in a programmatic series of two.
The $400 million credit is from the International Development Association (IDA) – the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm.
The first operation of $750 million was approved in May 2020. The programme will strengthen the capability of state and national governments in India to provide coordinated and adequate social protection to the poor and vulnerable from the shocks triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also read: Government signs $750 million agreement with World Bank for MSMEs
Dr. C. S. Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of India and Ms Sumila Gulyani, Acting Country Director, India, on behalf of the World Bank.
Dr. Mohapatra stated that the COVID-19 crisis had brought to the fore the risks that migrants and the urban poor face and the need for governments to strengthen preparedness for future disasters of this nature. This programme will help further expand and deepen the coverage of India’s social protection systems by helping these vulnerable groups in urban and peri-urban areas across the country.
Early results from tracking the first operation through a representative household survey across India highlights the strengths and challenges of India’s social protection system. The Second Accelerating India’s COVID-19 Social Protection Response Programme signed today will build on the shifts that the first operation has achieved.
Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India said that in face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Government of India has been actively strengthening the nation’s social protection system. In support of this process, the first operation by the World Bank followed Government’s lead to scale up pre-existing programmes for emergency relief. This second operation will complement the expansion of India’s safety net programmes to create a portable social protection platform ensuring food and cash support for poor households, urban migrants, and unorganised sector workers across state boundaries.
– globalbihari bureau
