WB urged to fund project on reviving rivers around Dhaka

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has urged the World Bank to finance a 'flagship project' of the government to revive the rivers around the capital to simplify further the communication system and thus make the historic city as a scenic one.

He made the request during a virtual meeting between a Bangladesh delegation and a World Bank delegation on Friday evening.

The finance minister led the Bangladesh delegation which included Finance Division Senior Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder and Economic Relations Division Secretary Fatima Yasmin.

On the other hand, World Bank Vice-President for South Asia region Hartwig Schafer led the lending agency's delegation which included World Bank Country Director Mercy Tembon, said a Finance Ministry press release on Saturday.

Regarding funding of the flagship project, the World Bank vice-president assured the finance minister of providing all necessary cooperation in this regard.

At the very outset of the meeting, the finance minister thanked the World Bank for their continued support in various ongoing development projects.

Kamal also requested the World Bank delegation for coming up with more soft-term lending side by side providing more support in improved technology transfer and in the private sector.

He apprised the World Bank delegation about the skills and efficiency of Bangladesh in project implementation as well as in repayment of loans.

The minister in the meeting said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken firm steps to properly run the country's economy despite the pandemic by providing support to the affected people and businesses for which Bangladesh ranks among the top five tolerant economies of the world as per the surveys of various international organisations.

Schafer lauded the performance of Bangladesh in utilising the funding from International Development Association (IDA) as Bangladesh receives the highest amount of funding from it.

Terming Bangladesh a role model in the world in utilising the fund from IDA, the World Bank vice-president suggested the government for projecting such feat in the upcoming annual meeting of the World Bank-IMF and thus providing support towards ensuring wider participation of developed countries in IDA.

Schafer also praised highly the sustainable plans and the attainments of Bangladesh in poverty alleviation, tackling disasters and climate change impacts.