As a part of an initiative to rebuild Kerala, which suffered massive losses after the floods that hit the state in 2018, the World Bank has granted a loan of ₹1700 crore to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government under the ‘Resilient Kerala Initiative’ (RKI).
This will be a long-term plan for the state’s development. In August 2018, Kerala was devastated with the worst deluge that the state saw in 100 years. The deadly floods claimed over 400 lives and destroyed property worth hundreds of crores. Almost 5.4 million people were affected and around 1.4 million were displaced.
The World Bank’s team, last year, met state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the floods. From then, they have been working closely with the Central and Kerala governments to assess the flood impact and providing assistance in recovery and reconstruction. “The ‘Resilient Kerala Initiative’ will be a development partnership for bringing fundamental changes to reduce the risk of future disasters in Kerala,” reveals the World Bank document.
The reconstruction plan will include disaster reduction management mechanism, helping key sectors like farming, irrigation, drinking water supply, hygiene, sanitation, tourism, empowering Kudumbashree (a women empowerment programme run by the Kerala government). Another key component of the initiative is additional skill acquisition programme for the youth.
“The new program is part of the Government of India’s support to Kerala’s ‘Rebuild Kerala Development Programme’ aimed at building a green and resilient Kerala. This partnership will identify key areas of policy and institutional strengthening to maximize development impact,” said Sameer Kumar Khare, additional secretary in the department of economic affairs, ministry of finance.
Also read: Rebuilding Kerala post-2018 floods will take 3 years: CM
The programme aims to support Kerala in various initiatives like improving river basin planning and water infrastructure operations management, water supply, sanitation services and sustainable agriculture. They also aim to support the state with more updated land records in high-risk areas.
According to the World Bank, the programme will focus on strengthening the state’s institutional and financial capacity to protect the assets and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable groups through an inclusive and participatory approach. On July 12, the World Bank signed up Kerala as its first state partner marking the state as its long term investment partner in India.
Vijayan shook hands with World Bank’s India director Junaid Ahmad and received the first tranche of $250 million of the $500 million. The funds will go to the state budget for its overall development initiatives and not a specific project. Tata Trust, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and IDFC Foundation have also agreed to support the state by supporting specific projects.
NABRD and HUDCO are other organisations that have agreed to provide assistance in urban water supply, roads and infrastructure. According to sources, the exact amount and sectors will be finalized based on further discussions with the department and the possibility of extending further financial assistance to the state will depend upon the partnership result.