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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's dream of bringing about the socio-economic uplift of dalit-dominated villages may fail to become a reality if she does not pacify the World Bank soon.
A warning was issued in this regard by none other than Bank's India director, Edward Lim, who shot off a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary D S Bagga earlier this month.
Bagga is tight-lipped about the letter, describing it as part of the "routine" correspondence between the bank and the government. "I do not remember seeing such a letter," he told rediff.com blandly.
The 'Ambedkar villages', named for Dr B R Ambedkar, messiah of the dalits and chief architect of the Constitution, figure prominently in Mayawati's scheme of things. She had personally met Lim to seek financial aid for these downtrodden villages, after which the bank took up the project for consideration.
But the bank has since taken strong exception to the frequent transfers of bureaucrats heading various other projects funded by it in the state. Three key rural development and infrastructure projects alone have been earmarked to receive US $377 million.
The letter dated August 1, 2002, states, "We have now learnt that project managers have been replaced within three weeks of assuming office. The project coordinator of the Diversified Agriculture Support Project has been changed twice in quick succession and at the moment there is no project coordinator; in the forestry project numerous changes have been made over the past six months."
The letter goes on: "Such developments do not augur well for these time-bound projects that require consistently good leadership."
As a warning, it adds, "We will continue to closely monitor implementation progress for all the projects and if significant improvement is not made we may have to reconsider whether the bank can continue to support these projects."
Lim made it amply clear that the prevailing state of affairs would compel the bank to reconsider its plan to fund the programme for the uplift of the 'Ambedkar villages'.
The letter concludes on a note of caution, "I hope you will review the situation and take appropriate steps to rectify the situation."
Bagga cannot say much on the subject because he has little to do anyway with the endless exercise of reshuffling bureaucrats, which remains Mayawati's domain.
This is not the first time the World Bank has rapped the Uttar Pradesh government for its lapses on timely and proper implementation of guidelines for projects funded by it.
Earlier, the international lending institution had stalled the Rs 1,100 crore [approximately US $226.80 million] second instalment of the Rs 15,000 crore [US $3092.78 million] 'Infrastructure and Financial Reconstruction' project spread over a span of 15 years.
The bank had clearly expressed displeasure with the pace and quality of work done on the project. It was only after much pleading and a visit by a World Bank team shortly after Mayawati assumed the chief minister's office that it decided to release the money.
The bank has also expressed its displeasure over the sluggish pace of power reforms in the state.
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