India and the World Bank signed a $75 million credit agreement for the Telangana Rural Inclusive Growth Project to enhance the agricultural incomes of small and marginal farmers in the state.
The Telangana Rural Inclusive Growth Project will focus on increasing eco
nomic opportunities for small and marginal farmers, especially from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households, by helping them gain access to extension services, quality inputs like improved seeds, market linkages, and institutional credit, the world bank press release said.
The project will work closely with the panchayats in 150 mandals (cluster of villages across gram panchayats), especially on last mile service delivery issues, establish technology-enabled “One Stop Shops” at the panchayat level, and strengthen their role as an interface between citizens and suppliers of crucial social services. In addition, it will establish a facility to improve service deliveries for people with disabilities and women.
The Telangana Rural Inclusive Growth Project, signed Wednesday, will help link small and marginal farmers to urban markets and make them competitive across the value chain so that they are able to take advantage of the potential benefits from allied sectors like horticulture and livestock. Investments will be made in increasing the nutritional content of products such as milk, vegetables and poultry. It also seeks to invigorate local markets by connecting rural producers and enterprises with the rural consumers and enhancing the quality of consumption by the poor households.
On the human development side, the focus on health, nutrition and sanitation services offers a unique opportunity for the project to work across sectors for last mile delivery of services. The project will be funded by credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm with a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period. (QNA)
