The World Bank will approve $ 300 million for KP Rural Investment on Thursday

 The World Bank will approve $ 300 million for KP Rural Investment on Thursday

The World Bank Executive Board is likely to consider the $ 300 million Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Investment and Institutional Support Project on Thursday to strengthen the provision of rural and local development services in the province (including the newly merged areas) in an inclusive, sustainable and responsible manner.

The proposed project is in line with the World Bank Group Partnership Strategy (CPS, FY15-20) and with the two objectives of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. The project will improve the institutional capacity of communities and village councils (VCs) to manage, control and strengthen the provision of physical infrastructure and basic services to the rural population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

It will also encourage community participation and monitor citizens of these services against agreed standards. These activities are expected to improve access to and quality of basic services, thereby improving the social and human development outcomes of vulnerable communities in rural areas of the province. Specifically, the project will contribute to the area of ​​results of the CPF CPS (Inclusion) and its partial results (reduced vulnerability of groups and risks) in addition to the area of ​​results (provision of services).

It will provide local communities with access to basic infrastructure and promote the inclusion of women and young people. Citizen involvement and investment in local infrastructure activities support a better World Bank response to crises.

The project will focus on three key areas of support:

a) Subsidies for municipal infrastructure to address deficiencies in rural infrastructure. b) Supervision of the provision of basic services to citizens in key service sectors according to agreed quality standards. (c) Institutional development and community mobilization to develop local capacities and strengthen the transparency, accountability and capacity of liner departments to work with local development communities.

This includes rural communities in the 15 districts with the highest service shortages according to the GoKP Department of Planning and Development (P&D), including eight districts in KP-populated areas and seven NMA districts. The geographical focus is justified by the fact that rural communities in these districts have some of the worst results in terms of human development, the lowest voice services on demand and the least chance of being covered by mainstream services. mechanism due to their size and distance. . In addition, these areas have the lowest capacity or resources to meet local needs. The project will fill these gaps with a combination of funding, technical support and institutional strengthening. The geographical scope is completed during the preparation of the project and can be gradually expanded.

Component 1: Common infrastructure subsidies

This component will provide grants for local infrastructure plans to address local development priorities set by rural communities. The project involves the restoration of damaged or inactive infrastructure, the construction of new infrastructure and operation and maintenance (O&M). Grants will be determined on the basis of simple and transparent criteria developed during project preparation.

While working through their selected VCs, community members select infrastructure plans from a range of project-supported projects and oversee and supervise their implementation. An offer of suitable proposals will be made during the preparation of the project, but based on past experience may include rural roads; water supply, sanitation and hygiene; small irrigation; solid waste management; rural electrification, including renewable energy (wind, solar and small hydropower); educational and medical facilities under the administration of the municipality; community centers; road sidewalks, bridges and related infrastructure; and additional investment in education, health and digital infrastructure.

Where possible, the project will support indoor planning to benefit economies of scale. The project will also explore the possibilities of subsistence subsidies, prioritizing public goods or activities that can improve agricultural productivity at the village level. Component 2: Citizen monitoring for better provision of basic services

This component will support the oversight of citizens' basic services against agreed standards by investing in the responsibility of communities and in the ability of providers to improve the quality of services. It will also focus on capacity building and CSR activities that will enable communities to control services while streamlining service quality standards so that line departments meet local needs. Intervention sectors and specific service quality standards will be developed during project preparation in consultation with the liner departments responsible for providing services. Potential sectors may be involved in the provision of health care, teacher education and training, nutrition and dwarf prevention interventions, immunization programs, social assistance programs and livelihood programs. Component 3: Institutional development and community mobilization

This feature facilitates community participation in the planning, implementation and operation and maintenance (O&M) of urban infrastructure plans in project areas. It will focus on the development and implementation of a standard implementation cycle of a subproject led by selected VCs, focused on community mobilization and the impact on planning, implementation and management of infrastructure plans in the social environment. inclusive and sustainable in an environmentally friendly way.

As the implementation of the sub-project will be managed by elected local councils, the project will strengthen and institutionalize the role of these local institutions in managing and controlling the provision of physical infrastructure and basic services, as well as promoting community-service cooperation. providers.credited citizens. feedback loop and responsibility on the questions page. This component will also strengthen the transparency, accountability and ability of liner departments to work with communities.

The project will focus on institutional strengthening, technical capacity building and streamlining of standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that line departments can work with local communities and VCs in project planning and implementation. The primary goal is to standardize, simplify, and streamline bureaucratic processes in which communities interact with line departments. The specific supporting functions and technical content will be determined during the project preparation after an institutional assessment by the line departments and the council. Component 4: Project management, supervision and evaluation

This section will cover operating costs and selected capital costs by the Executive Agency for the general coordination, management and administration of project activities. It will cover the overall public procurement management system, environmental and social standards (ESS), financial management (FM) and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, including project audits and technical studies.

It will also cover the Complaints Mechanism (GRM) project and field offices at various locations to be identified during project preparation. The specific roles, responsibilities and implementation plans for the activities under this section will be determined during the project preparation, as the implementation measures are determined on the basis of an evaluation. Finally, the project will strengthen the executive agency's capacity to improve efficiency and transparency in resource allocation, data collection and oversight of local development activities.