CHANDIGARH: A group of 12 Executive Directors of the World Bank Thursday called on Ramesh Inder Singh, Chief Secretary Punjab to discuss the status of a few ongoing world bank aided projects and follow up of the completed world bank projects in the State.

The members of World Bank team were Felix A, Comarasa, Rogerio Studart, Shuja Shah, Toru Shikibu, Nuno Mota Pinto, Sid Ahmed Dib, Michel Mordasini,  Agapito Mendes Dias, Mat Aron Deraman, Merza Hussain Hasan, Dhanendra Kumar and Julijana Amiel Operations Analyst.

During the course of the meeting the State government has also proposed four new projects to be executed with the world bank aid in the coming years.

These projects include Ground Water Management Project, Multi State Agricultural Competitiveness Project, Urban Infrastructure Project and Education Improvement Project.

Referring to the Ground Water Management Project, the Chief Secretary said that world bank assistance was required to strengthen and upgrade technical know how and to have cost effective, environment friendly, efficient and latest technology based measures.

The state was already facing acute problems of water logging, declining water table and water quality in different parts of the sate and to set them in order world bank aid was required.

He, however said that Punjab was in a perfect position to repay the loans raises from the World Bank. Steps were already being taken to reduce the fiscal deficit  of the state for the last few years, said Singh.

Referring to the Multi State Agricultural Competitiveness Project,  Singh said that preliminary project report of Rs.500 crore has already been approved in January 2008. Similarly to improve the quality of schools in the state, a comprehensive programme with  world bank assistance of Rs.800 crore which includes teacher training, teaching methods and materials, school curricula and  teacher evaluation school performance parameters would be initiated.

There is a total enrollment of 2.1 million in 13285 government primary schools and 5424 in secondary schools whereas the literacy rate is 69..7% in the sate, said  Singh.