The Financing Agreement for World Bank assistance of US$ 250 million for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project was signed between Government of India and the World Bank at New Delhi.
The loan has been sanctioned by the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm International Development Association (IDA). The loan has implementation period of 5 years and Bihar Government is the implementing agency.
About Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project
The objective of the project is to enhance resilience to floods and increase agricultural production and productivity in the targeted districts in the Kosi River Basin, and to enhance Bihar’s capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency.
Five components of Project are:
(i) Improving Flood Risk Management.
(ii) Augmenting Connectivity.
(iii) Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Competitiveness.
(iv) Implementation Support
(v) Contingent Emergency Response.
Primary beneficiaries of this Project:
Rural households and producers in the Kosi River Basin who are regularly exposed to floods.
This includes farmers who lost their agricultural lands due to the silt deposits brought by the 2008 Kosi River Flood as well as farmers in the project area that are currently without access to irrigation and other technologies, improved agricultural practices and an adequate transport network.