Current context: The Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra and the World Bank signed a loan agreement of $210 million on 24th January 2020.
a. Madhya Pradesh
b. Jharkhand
c. Bihar
d. Maharashtra
- The $210 million loan agreement has been made to support smallholder farmers in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
- The loan agreement was signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, and Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director (India), World Bank.
- The $210 million Maharashtra Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project will help in:
- Competitive agriculture value chains.
- Facilitate agri-business investments.
- Increase market access and productivity in focus commodities.
- Build resilience of crops to recurrent floods or droughts etc.
- The project will be implemented in all 36 districts of Maharashtra.
- At least 43 percent of farmers and farm-workers participating in project activities are expected to be women.
- The $210 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a 6-year grace period and a maturity period of 13.5 years.
Question:
Q.1 The World Bank has recently signed a $210 million loan agreement with the government of India to support smallholder farmers of which Indian state?a. Madhya Pradesh
b. Jharkhand
c. Bihar
d. Maharashtra
