World Bank Water & Sanitation Specialist visits Melli Dara Paiyong’s Solid Waste Management Unit

GANGTOK, 03 July: World Bank Water & Sanitation Specialist of the Water & Sanitation Program (WSP), New Delhi, Suseel Samuel recently visited the Solid Waste Management Unit of Melli Dara Paiyong GPU at Melli Paiyong. 
A press release informs that the objective of the visit was to have firsthand information about how the Solid Waste Management Unit is operating in the Gram Panchayat Unit and to make a compendium of good practices in water & sanitation in India.
The unit was selected by the Water & Sanitation unit under RMDD, Govt. of Sikkim as a model unit in the state at a Gram Panchayat level.
The release mentions that Mr. Samuel was quite impressed with the way the garbage is managed in the GPU. The panchayat president, Ganesh K. Rai appraised him about how the unit has come into being and also talked about the future plan for this SWM Unit.
Citing the examples of Kerala, Sweden and Malaysia, Mr. Samuel suggested some good practices which could be emulated here as well and wished success for the sustainability of the unit, the release adds.

World Bank extends $130 mn loan for development in North-East and SIkkim

LOAN TO FUND NE RURAL LIVELIHOOD PROJECTS AND PROJECTS IN 15 PANCHAYAT WARDS IN EAST SIKKIM
New Delhi, 20 Jan: The World Bank today extended a US $130 million loan to India that will be used to fund rural development programmes in the North East region, including Sikkim.
The money will be used to fund the North East Rural Livelihoods Project, which aims to enhance livelihoods of the rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged people in the North East region, the Finance Ministry said in a statement here.
Eight districts of four states — Aizawl and Lunglei in Mizoram; Peren and Tuensang in Nagaland; South, West and 15 Panchayat wards of East District in Sikkim; and West and North Districts in Tripura will be covered under the project, reports IANS.
The agreements for the North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) were signed here by Venu Rajamony, Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, on behalf of the government of India, DL Wankhar, Project Director on behalf of the North East Rural Livelihoods Project, and Roberto Zagha, World Bank Country Director in India.
“The project seeks to develop an institutional platform for the communities, which will help them link up with the private sector, public sector, and civil society and to acquire the institutional, technical, and financial capacity needed for improving their livelihoods,” an official statement released after signing of the agreement states.
Loan will be extended by the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm the International Development Association. The concessional credit has a final maturity of 25 years, including 5-year grace period.