The partnership between the World Bank and the Government of India will support programmes that help India maintain high growth as a primary objective. This will include projects with fuel-efficient transport infrastructure, clean energy hydropower plants, efficient water supply and wastewater systems, programs that help farmers, fishing communities and people in other vulnerable communities safeguard their livelihoods against the vagaries of changing.

The proposed project to strengthen the capacity of the Pollution Control Boards will help build their skills and infrastructure, ensure their financial sustainability and set up new monitoring and data management mechanisms where as the biodiversity project will seek to demonstrate conservation measures in various ecosystems, catalogue India’s rich biodiversity in hotspots, and support livelihoods of communities living within biodiversity-rich areas and enable them to benefit from investments in these areas.

The Bank has already given its financial support for three environment management and protection projects which include Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, Industrial Pollution Management Project and the National Ganga Project with 220 million, $65 million and $ 20 million help respectively. Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project will help to establish an institutional structure to coordinate coastal zone management nationally and is piloting integrated approaches to coastal zone management in Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal. Under Industrial pollution Management Project, select industrially polluted sites will be rehabilitated, a national framework for the remediation of polluted and orphaned contaminated sites will be developed and ozone-depleting substances will be phased out. Under the National Ganga Project, pollution in the river will be reduced by sewage collection and treatment and municipal solid waste management.

The Environment Minister said that the Government is working at strengthening environmental regulations a probable area of future engagement. He also said, “Our Projects supported by the World Bank”. Mr.Zoellick said, “India is working to integrate its growth objectives and need to overcome poverty with the sustainability of natural resources and the well-being of future generations. The government is striving to avoid actions that will add to costs-today and tomorrow- for health, clean water, clean air and preservation of valuable biodiversity. The World Bank Group is pleased to share its experience to support India’s inclusive and sustainable development.”