| The Country Strategy describes the approach the World Bank Group – IBRD/IDA, IFC and MIGA – uses in a particular country. The Bank's current Country Strategy for India was finalized on August 26, 2004. The strategy will be used to guide the Bank Group's programs in India for a period of four years, from fiscal years 2005 to 2008. |
Working for Results: Country Strategy
for India |
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Goals
As India is home to over a quarter of the world’s poor, the overarching goal of the World Bank's Country Strategy (CAS) for India for 2005 -08 is: Focus of Strategy To achieve these goals, the Bank's strategy envisages a substantial increase in the volume of lending to India in areas that are crucial for poverty reduction: Infrastructure development — roads, electricity, water and sanitation, transportation and communication. Health and education to improve human capital Creation of more jobs and better livelihoods, especially in the rural areas
The World Bank Group's CAS indicates the level and composition of Bank assistance to be provided to the country during the period 2005 -08 and identifies funding targets for projects, studies, and other forms of Bank support. The World Bank Group's projects and programs will lay emphasis on: - Investing in people and empowering communities
- Improving the effectiveness of government
- Promoting private sector-led growth
The Bank's CAS is closely aligned with the Government’s poverty reduction strategy embodied in the Tenth Five-Year Plan covering 2002/3 to 2006/7, and is tailored to local conditions. Strategic Principles
Three principles underpin the World Bank Group's work in India.  Focusing on Outcomes: to ensure that all the Bank Group's work is explicitly geared towards supporting India’s achievement of its development goals;
Exercising Selectivity: to target limited resources to activities where assistance is welcomed and where contributions can be the most effective; Generating and Providing Knowledge: to provide practical advice to policy makers on the country’s major development challenges by sharing good practices and experience from within the country and abroad. Financing National Programs An important shift in the new strategy is the use of new approaches to finance national programs critical to meeting the MDGs. One such example is the ongoing US$500 million Bank credit to fund India 's Elementary Education Program. The program is being co-financed with other development partners under common arrangements. Similar operations for improving national and state health programs, urban development, and rural roads are under preparation.
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Spreading Support more Widely across India 's States
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Since 1997, the Bank Group has focused its support on reforming Indian states that were the leaders of change. The new strategy, however, aims to spread Bank support more widely. Lending is to be based on “guidelines for engagement” for each key sector, with a special effort to help the poorest and weakest states qualify for support. Policy dialogue, primarily on fiscal and governance reforms, is to be offered in partnership with other donors (ADB, DFID) to the 12 largest states with 90 percent of India ’s poor, regardless of their progress in the implementation of reforms. These states are: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Going beyond the basic dialogue on reforms, capacity building efforts will focus on the four poorest and largest states - Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, and Jharkhand to enable them to use government funds more efficiently.
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Analytical Reports and Studies The World Bank will increasingly assist India to meet major challenges through analytical reports on key developmental issues. It will also ensure that its portfolio performance is of the highest standards in terms of achieving objectives. The Consultation Process
In the course of formulating the India Country Strategy, consultations with various tiers of government, civil society, donors and the private sector were undertaken: Client Survey: About 1,000 people from government, civil society, academia, media and the private sector were invited to participate in a two-part survey to share their views on key development issues in India, and on the Bank’s effectiveness and priorities. Targeted meetings: Sector ministries, Indian economists and policymakers outside of government provided informal review and advice in a series of meetings held over several months. Online consultations: The draft of the strategy was posted on external websites in English, Hindi, Kannada and Telugu for public review and comment for a period of four weeks. The draft was publicized through a press conference in New Delhi addressed by the Regional Vice President and Country Director, as well as through email and fax notification to Bank contacts, the Country Office quarterly newsletter, and other means of outreach. Consultation workshops: The Bank hosted a series of half-day workshops in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Lucknow with invited representatives of the central, state and local governments, donors, the private sector, academia, media and NGOs. >>>Read more about the consultation process. |
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