Sindh, WB launch $135 million Covid-19 response programme

Sindh government and WB also agree to launch locust control project

KARACHI: The World Bank (WB) and Sindh government have decided to launch a Covid-19 response programme, at the cost of $135 million, in the province, as well as a locust control programme.

In a video link meeting with WB country director Patchamuthu Illangovan on Monday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the provincial government wanted to launch a Covid-19 response programme with the technical and financial support of the international institution.

He added that through the diversion, restructuring, repurposing and realigning of WB funds allocated for the province, resources could be mobilised for the purpose.

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Shah revealed that the provincial government planned to disinfect all public spaces including bus stops, offices and roads, adding that storm drains and nullahs would also be cleaned. Furthermore, the provincial government would establish two new landfill sites in Karachi, he stated.

He also explained that while a Covid-19 monitoring system was being developed for Karachi, he wanted to implement such a system on a provincial level with the WB team's help.

Giving his approval, Illangovan said the Sindh government could use $135 million that had previously been allocated to different projects across the province until the project was formally approved by the relevant forums.

Aiding the business community

Shah also took the opportunity to discuss the worries of the business community, stressing that the economic activities of the province had been adversely affected by the pandemic.

To address this, he claimed, the Sindh government had decided to extend small-scale loans and financial support for daily-wage workers.

To this end, Illangovan assured the CM that the World Bank would support the Sindh government in doing so through a separate programme, which would be a part of the Covid-19 response programme.

Locust control programme

Bringing up the threat posed by locust swarms to Sindh's crops, the CM told the WB representatives that the pests had already destroyed one third of the yield in the province.

He urged them to extend their technical and financial support to tackle this issue as well, upon which the World Bank approved $10 million for the locust control programme.

Illangovan advised the Sindh government to divert the funds allocated to Sindh Agriculture Growth Project (SAGP) and start the locust control programme instead, adding that the World Bank would arrange more funds for the SAGP.

A team constituting of WB officials as well as Sindh planning and development department chairperson Mohammad Waseem will work towards realigning the WB portfolio.