An agreement for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) credit of USD 40 Million for 'U.P. Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project' was inked on Thursday between the Government of India and the World Bank.
The IBRD will grant the loan which has a 5-year grace period, and maturity term of 19 years.
Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary (MI), Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of the Government of India and John Blomquist, Acting Country Director of the World Bank (India) signed the agreement.
The Implementing Entity Agreement was signed by the Director General and Principal Secretary, Tourism on behalf of Government of Uttar Pradesh, and the Acting Country Director (India) on behalf of the World Bank.
The programme size is approximately USD 57.14 million, of which USD 40 million will be financed by the Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget.
The Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project will support the state government's priority of re-structuring tourism in a way that optimizes the state assets in an inclusive and sustainable manner directly benefiting poor residents and local entrepreneurs, such as rickshaw drivers, local artisans and street vendors.
It will help enhance their linkages with the tourism value chain while improving living conditions for some of the state's poorest residents through better infrastructure and services and the objective is to increase tourism-related benefits for local communities in targeted destinations.
The project is expected to have far-reaching social, economic and environmental benefits by targeting local communities and entrepreneurs near some of the main tourist and pilgrimage attractions in Uttar Pradesh, namely, Agra as well as Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Govardhan in the Braj region.
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