Feedback Survey

Harnessing High-Impact Technology

With 1 billion mobile phone users, fast growing e-platforms and a highly tech-savvy population, India's digital revolution will impact the country's development path. Although technology is not a substitute for good policies and implementation, it can greatly accelerate development if effectively harnessed. 

The World Bank Group partners with India to maximize technological gains, such as promoting post-harvest and processing technologies to modernize farm production and increase rural productivity, and using smart technologies in cities such as vehicle electrification and digital financial innovations. The World Bank Group also supports expanding innovation capability in the private sector, upgrading and expanding technology centers in India, and facilitating innovation in biopharmaceutical products and medical devices. At the same time, the World Bank Group will analyze social and economic development challenges and opportunities of so-called disruptive technologies, focusing on implications for policies, regulations, jobs and skills.

image
Image

Active

  • Maharashtra Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture

    The development objective of Maharashtra Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture Project for India is to enhance climate-resilience and profitability of smallholder farming systems in selected districts of Maharashtra. This project has four components. 1) The first component, Promoting Climate-resilient Agricultural Systems, aims to strengthen the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to adjust and modify their production systems to moderate potential future impacts from climate events. 2) The second component, Post-harvest Management and Value Chain Promotion, aims to support the participation of smallholder farmers in Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and integration of these FPOs in value chains for crops relevant to the climate agenda, and to strengthen the supply chain for climate-resilient crop varieties in the project area. 3) The third component, Institutional Development, Knowledge and Policies for a Climate resilient Agriculture, aims to enhance the transformative capacity of institutions and stakeholders to promote and pursue a more climate resilient agriculture, with sector strategies and policies based on strong analytical underpinnings and cutting-edge climate, water and crop modelling. 4) The fourth component, Project Management, covers the activities of the Project Management Unit (PMU) set up by the GoM during the project preparation phase.

  • India Energy Efficiency Scale-up Program

    The development objective of Energy Efficiency Scale-up Program Project for India are to scale up energy savings in residential and public sectors, strengthen Energy Efficiency Services Limited's (EESL) institutional capacity, and enhance its access to commercial financing. The Program consists of the following activities for FY 2018-2022, in EESL’s overall corporate investments program: Results Area 1) Energy Savings and Energy Efficiency (EE) Market Transformation in the Residential Sector, aims to Scaling-up EE delivery in the residential sector under the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Light Emitting Diode (LEDs) for All (UJALA) Program, focusing on LED bulbs, tube lights and ceiling fans; Results Area 2) Energy Savings and EE Market Transformation in Public Street Lighting, aims at delivering investments in EE public street lighting, under the SLNP Program; Results Area 3) Development of Sustainable Business Models in new EE Market Segments, aims at supporting up-stream program development and incorporation of technical, environmental and social sustainability elements into the design of the new initiatives, such as air-conditioning, agriculture demand side management and Buildings EE Program, which require additional preparatory work before sustainable scale-up; but expressly excluding the actual capital investments for such new initiatives; and Results Area 4) Institutional Strengthening for Sustainable EE Scale-Up, aims at strengthening and developing the institutional capacity of the Borrower, especially with respect to financial, technical, managerial, procurement, environmental and social capacity and practices.

  • Second Gujarat State Highway Project (GSHP II)

    The objective of the Second Phase of the Gujarat State Highway Project (GSHP) is to improve capacity, and enhance quality and safety of road services for the users of the core road network of state highways in Gujarat, through institutional strengthening and efficient contracting and financing strategies. There are three components to the project, the first component being highway improvement component. The highway improvement component will incorporate safe infrastructure designs, public transport and wayside facilities. The works will be undertaken through a mix of nine input-based item-rates plus performance based maintenance contracts, one PPP Annuity Based DBFOMT9 and one performance based Output and Performance based Road Contract (OPRC) Contract. The second component is the sector policy and institutional development component. This component seeks to deepen the GSHP I efforts towards improving R&BD's operational capacity, and also augment the state's capacity in two more critical areas, viz., policy and planning and knowledge building, as detailed below. The priority areas of engagement have been identified in various stakeholder and staff consultations and are closely aligned to the Gujarat infrastructure development vision 2020. Finally, the third component is the road safety management component. This component will strengthen the road safety management system and improve capacity to undertake multi-sectoral road safety interventions in the state. The strategic planning and the development of this component has been based on a road safety management capacity review, a pioneering initiative in the country, supported and funded in collaboration with the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF).

  • National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project

    The objective of the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project for India is improve the National Highway network connectivity to less developed areas and low-income states and enhance the institutional capacity of Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation to better manage the highway network under the purview of the Ministry. The project has three components: (i) road improvement and maintenance; (ii) institutional development; and (iii) road safety.

  • PMGSY Rural Roads Project

    The objective of the PMGSY Rural Road Project is to strengthen the systems and processes of the national PMGSY rural roads program for the expansion and maintenance of all-season rural access roads. The result will enhance the road connectivity to economic opportunities and social services for beneficiary communities in the participating states. MORD has requested the Bank to increase lending by US$500 million to the Original Project and provide the continuing Bank support which can help tackle the development challenges identified. Of the US$500 million, USD150 million would be used to meet the funding gap in the original project. The remainder US$350 million will be used to introduce green and climate resilient construction in PMGSY while widening the developmental scope to tackle institutional, road safety, low carbon and climate resilience, gender and other issues described above. The Bank Team has also resolved to work with Indian counterparts to disseminate the PMSGY program internationally as an adaptable model for rural road programs in other countries16. It will demonstrate how climate change agenda should be integrated in the rural roads strategy, planning and actions.

  • Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor - II

    The development objectives of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Project (APL2) for India are to: (1) provide additional rail transport capacity, improved service quality and higher freight throughput on the 393 km Kanpur-Mughal Sarai section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC); and (2) develop institutional capacity of DFCCIL to build, maintain and operate the entire DFC network. The project has two components: (a) design, construction and commissioning of the Kanpur-Mughal Sarai section of the Eastern DFC consisting of 393 km of double-track electrified railway designed for freight only train operations with 25-ton axle-load (upgradable to 32.5 ton axle loads) at 100 km/h; and (b) continuing the provision of institutional support to assist DFCCIL to develop its capability to best utilize heavy-haul freight rail systems.

  • Efficient & Sustainable City Bus Services

  • Partial Risk Sharing Facility in Energy Efficiency

    The objective of the Partial Risk Sharing Facility for Energy Efficiency (PRSF) Project is to assist India in achieving energy savings with mobilization of commercial finance and participation of energy service companies. This project consists of two components. The first component supports establishing and operating the Facility to provide Sub-Guarantees to Sub-Financiers and developing energy efficiency markets through end-to-end solutions and measurement and verification (M&V) activities. The partial risk sharing facility for energy efficiency is managed by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), funded from a Global Environment Facility (GEF) contribution and backstopped by a Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Guarantee, in the form of contingent finance. Component two supports technical assistance, capacity building, and operations support comprising, among other things, the following activities: i. Carrying out market development, Project management, awareness building, and outreach to beneficiaries and stakeholders. ii. Undertaking legal due diligence and dispute resolution involving Sub-Projects. iii. Developing and maintaining the Facility?s website and online presence; a management information system; and other reporting systems. iv. Developing standard appraisal and transaction documents, reporting templates, energy efficient guidelines, strengthening Project report generation, capacity building and training, and online support. v. Providing technical assistance and capacity building for Participating Financial Institutions, Energy Service Companies, and Beneficiaries. The above two components are designed to strengthen the market-driven energy efficiency ecosystem conditions necessary for addressing EE market barriers and development objectives identified in Section II. Both SIDBI and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) are leading institutions

  • Technology Center Systems Project (TCSP)

    The objective of the Technology Center Systems Program Project for India is to enhance the productivity of Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise, or MSMEs by improving their access to technology and business advisory services as well as skilled workers through systems of financially sustainable Technology Centers (TCs). There are three components to the project, the first component being technical assistance to the existing and new technology centers. The TCs and their private sector clients will benefit, for the duration of the program, from the technical assistance of world class firms that will provide superior technology related inputs with respect to the technological and business needs. These two streams of technical assistance will run in parallel and inform each other under the guidance of industry specific joint working groups comprising the main industry leaders and representatives. The second component is the investments to develop new and upgrade existing technology centers. Finally, the third component is the technical assistance to the MSME Ministry for Program implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). The M&E system will include, in particular, independent surveys of customers and stakeholders (including potential private competitors to the TCs) to assess the transformative impact of the program, as well as to ensure there is no significant crowding-out of the private sector. Such surveys will be designed and launched during the first year of program implementation.

  • Capacity Augmentation of the National Waterway- 1 (JAL MARG VIKAS) Project

    The development objective of the First Capacity Augmentation of the National Waterway Project for India is to enhance transport efficiency and reliability of national waterway 1 (NW-1) and augment institutional capacity for the development and management of India's inland waterway transport system in an environmentally sustainable manner. The project comprises of two components. The first component, improving the navigability of NW-1 (Haldia to Varanasi) includes six sub-components: (i) retroactive financing for detailed topographic and bathymetric surveys, preparation of technical feasibility and detailed engineering studies, preparation of environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) studies, and other supporting technical assistance and studies for project preparation, most of which have been completed; (ii) improvement of river fairway through dredging and river conservancy works; (iii) construction of permanent protection works for erosion- prone banks in selected locations, totaling up to 40 km; (iv) rehabilitation of the existing Farakka ship lock and construction of a new parallel lock to allow concurrent two-way working; (v) construction of: (i) six multimodal and inter-modal freight terminals with future provision to allow evolution as market clusters, (ii) two vessel repair and maintenance facilities, and (iii) five pairs of Ro-Ro crossings; and (vi) sixth sub-component includes: (i) navigational aids in the form of night navigation facilities and channel marking; (ii) enhancement of the existing river information service (RIS) through addition of app-based systems, an improved communication platform, and expanded user reach; (iii) support for the development of a terminal management system (TMS); and (iv) provision of other support services, for example, search and rescue, distress response and casualty incident management, and upgrading vessel and ri

  • Odisha Disaster Recovery Project

    The development objective of the Odisha Disaster Recovery Project for India is to restore and improve housing and public services in targeted communities of Odisha, and increase the capacity of the state entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. The project has five components. The first component is resilient housing reconstruction and community infrastructure. It has following two sub-components: (i) housing reconstruction for the reconstruction of about 30,000 houses in the designated rural areas in the coastal belt 5 km from the high tide line (HTL) in the districts of Ganjam and Puri, and 5km from the Chilika lake boundary as defined by the survey of India in the district of Khordha; and (ii) selected community infrastructure for public infrastructure improvements to complement the housing reconstruction. The second component, urban infrastructure in Berhampur will finance investments to improve public services in Berhampur while at the same time reduce the vulnerability of its population. Improved public infrastructure will reduce vulnerability through improved drainage to reduce floods, and increasing the resilience of public service infrastructure. It has following four sub-components: (i) upgrading of slums; (ii) public service infrastructure; (iii) community participation; and (iv) technical assistance. The third component, capacity building in disaster risk management objective is to support Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) in strengthening their overall capacity towards better risk mitigation, preparedness, and disaster response, in line with global best practices. The fourth component, implementation support will finance the incremental operating costs of the project management units (PMUs) in OSDMA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (H and UD), and the project implementation unit (

  • Madhya Pradesh Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project

    The development objective of the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project for India is to improve access to public services guarantee act (PSGA) services by citizens of Madhya Pradesh, and in particular by under-represented groups. The project comprises of two components. The first component, results-based financing aims to support the implementation of critical public management reforms needed to reach the results. It consists of following three sub-components: (i) access to services and citizen outreach; (ii) simplification of government services; and (iii) performance management. The second component, technical assistance will provide specialized technical assistance to support implementation of the government program and achievement of project results. It consists of following three sub-components: (i) supporting government process reengineering; (ii) enhancing information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure and strengthening ICT capacity; and (iii) strengthening project management.

  • Assam Citizen-Centric Service Delivery Project

    The development objective of the Assam Citizen-Centric Service Delivery Project for India is to improve access in the delivery of selected public services in Assam. The project comprises of two components. The first component, technical assistance will provide specialized technical assistance to support implementation of the government program and the achievement of the project development objective (PDO). It consists of following sub-components: (i) strengthening right to public services (RTPS) implementation; (ii) supporting process re-engineering in selected services; (iii) setting up public facilitation centers; and (iv) promoting citizen engagement. The second component, results-based financing aims to support the Government of Assam to implement critical public management reforms related to delivery of public services.

  • Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks Project

    The development objective of the Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks Project for India is to increase solar generation capacity through the establishment of large-scale solar parks in the country. The project has two components. First component, shared infrastructure for solar parks will cover financing for shared infrastructure, such as, access roads, water supply anddrainage, telecommunications, pooling station inside the solar parks and transmission lines connecting these internal pooling stations to the external substation that may or may not be at the periphery of the park, feeding into the national or state grid. The scope of investments covered will depend on the modality and approach adopted by the respective selected state for developing the solar parks. While some states intend to provide a full range of infrastructure services to the selected private-sector developers, others intend to provide only pooling stations to facilitate internal evacuation. In most solar parks, project developers or generators will be responsible for the interconnection of each plot in the solar park with pooling stations, using suitable voltage for underground or overhead cable. Second component, technical assistance will provide capacity -building support to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), the SNAs in the states where selected solar parks are located, and the selected state PIAs, which will include the State Nodal Agency (SNA) and/or Joint Venture (JV) companies or state agencies across the participating states. Specifically for the state PIAs, although their role and mandate is growing rapidly to meet the Government of India’s ambitious renewable-energy targets, they have limited capacity and experience to deliver on these mandates.

  • Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Program

    The development objective of the Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Program Project for India is to increase installed capacity of grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (GRPV) and to strengthen the capacity of relevant institutions for GRPV. The program environmental objective (PEO) is to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the displacement of thermal energy with solar energy. The operation supports the government’s rooftop solar PV program. By increasing the availability of debt financing and improving the capacity of institutions, it will expand uptake of GRPV in the country. The program addresses the barriers to accelerated GRPV installation. It also allows the consumer to internalize the positive environmental externalities of solar power and thus encourages GRPV installation. Climate finance has been used in this operation to buy down the interest rate of rooftop PV loans to early movers in the market. The clean technology fund (CTF) committee has approved United States (U.S.) 125 million dollars to co-finance this GRPV program.

  • Innovate in India for Inclusiveness

    The development objective of Innovate in India for Inclusiveness is to facilitate innovation in biopharmaceutical products and medical devices that address public health priorities in India. This project has three components. 1) The first component, Strengthening the pilot-to-market innovation ecosystem, aims to provide grant funding to support the creation of centers of excellence for validation, early stage bio-manufacturing, clinical development, training, and technology transfer. It has the following five subcomponents: (i) Shared facilities; (ii) Scientific research; (iii) Clinical trial network; (iv) Training; and (v) Technology transfer. 2) The second component, Accelerating the pilot-to-market process for specific products, aims to provide grant funding to consortia of private, public, and academic institutions, led by cutting-edge institutions in their respective field, to accelerate the development of low-cost, select vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical devices that address public health priorities in India. It has the following three subcomponents: (i) Vaccines; (ii) Biosimilars; and (iii) Medical devices (instruments and diagnostics). 3) The third component, Project management and monitoring and evaluation, aims to cover the operating costs incurred by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in the implementation of the project.

  • Himachal Pradesh Public Financial Management Capacity Building Program

    The development objective of Himachal Pradesh Public Financial Management Capacity Building Program Project for India is to improve the efficiency of Public Expenditure Management and Tax Administration in Himachal Pradesh. This project has three components. 1) The first component, Improving efficiency of the Finance Department (FD) in an enhanced control environment, aims to contribute toward strengthening budget credibility; effective Public Financial Management (PFM) operations; and enhancing governance, financial controls, and accountability by strengthening treasury systems and establishing or upgrading enabling IT systems. It has two subcomponents as follows: (i) Strengthening treasury functioning and implementing second generation Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) reforms; (ii) Strengthening PFM Reforms Architecture; and (iii) Establishing or strengthening enabling IT systems and support. 2) The second component, Increasing efficiency and performance through better contract management, aims to strengthen contract management in one of the major works departments, namely the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department. It has the following two subcomponents: (i) Establishing an integrated CMS; and (ii) Rollout of e-Procurement in all government departments. 3) The third component, Unlocking revenue potential through modernization of the Excise and Taxation Department (ETD), aims to support activities that will increase efficiency in operations within the ETD, including upgrading skills and competency levels for improved staff capacity and enhanced systems, both with the objective of augmentation and increasing revenue. It has the following five subcomponents: (i) Diagnostic of the institutional framework and revenue administration; (ii) Strengthening analytical skills and business intelligence (BI) capabilities; (iii) e-Governance in