(a) whether a high level team from the World Bank visited India recently to discuss the progress of bank funded projects and future funding requirement;
(b) if so, the details of the meetings held and issued taken with the team of World Bank; and
(c) the details thereof alongwith the outcome thereof ?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (S. S. PALANIMANICKAM)
(a), (b) & (c): A group of Executive Directors (EDs) and Alternate Executive Directors from the World Bank visited India from 3-8 February 2005 to acquaint themselves with World Bank programmes in India. During their visit they attended briefings by key policy makers in India on matters relating to poverty reduction, education, health, rural development, infrastructure, private sector development, improving public service delivery and investment climate. The group met the Prime Minister, Minister for Road Transport & Highways and other senior government officials from the Ministries of Finance, Power and Water Resources and the Planning Commission. The group also visited a few development projects in education, health and infrastructure sectors in the states of Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Since the visit was part of the regular programme of the World Bank in which the EDs visit a number of countries to acquaint themselves with the functioning of the World Bank, no issues relating to future funding requirements were discussed.