Guwahati, May 18: The Assam government reviewed the progress of major World Bank-assisted projects in the state during a meeting between senior state officials and a World Bank delegation led by Regional Vice President Johannes Zutt.
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| Assam Chief Secretary meets a World Bank delegation led by Regional Vice President Johannes Zutt in Guwahati to review ongoing World Bank-assisted development projects and discuss future collaboration in key sectors. (Image: X/CMOfficeAssam) |
The meeting was held under the direction of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and attended by senior World Bank officials Jen JungEun Oh and Arnab Bandopadhyay, along with senior officers of the Government of Assam.
According to the Assam Chief Secretary’s Office, the discussions focused on the implementation status of ongoing externally aided projects and future areas of collaboration aligned with the state’s developmental priorities.
At present, Assam is implementing seven major World Bank-assisted projects with a cumulative outlay of around ₹16,648 crore, including nearly ₹13,320 crore in World Bank assistance. The projects cover sectors such as transport connectivity, healthcare, education, governance reforms, river basin management and resilient infrastructure development.
Among the key projects reviewed was the Assam Inland Water Transport Project worth ₹770 crore, which has reportedly achieved over 89 percent physical progress. Officials also discussed the Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project Phase-I, the ASSIST healthcare initiative, the Assam Resilient Rural Bridges Program and the Assam Disaster Resilient Hill Area Road Development Project.
The meeting also reviewed the Assam Governance and Service Delivery Program focused on digital governance reforms and the School Education and Adolescent Wellbeing Project aimed at improving education systems and adolescent wellbeing across the state.
During the interaction, the Assam government highlighted its focus on resilient infrastructure, digital governance and citizen-centric service delivery. The state also requested the World Bank to consider greater flexibility in minimum project size norms for governance and digital transformation initiatives.
Officials further sought enhanced engagement of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in supporting Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects and infrastructure asset monetisation through technical and advisory support.
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The World Bank delegation reportedly appreciated Assam’s implementation progress and reaffirmed continued support for the state’s developmental initiatives. Discussions also covered long-term maintenance and lifecycle management of infrastructure assets created under externally aided projects, including proposals for an Asset Management Fund and a digital monitoring system for public infrastructure.
