Chandigarh, Nov 29 (PTI) The World Bank will provide the same amount of financial assistance to Haryana in the next five years as it did in the past 50, a senior official of the global institution said here on Friday.

During a meeting with the World Bank's Country Director Auguste Tano Kouame here, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and government representatives' discussions figured on various areas, including education, air quality management, and transport.

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The World Bank team, which held a separate meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here, included Nataliya Kulichenko, Programme leader, Sustainable Development India, and Anne Jeannette Glauber, Practice Manager, Environment.

Speaking to PTI here on the sidelines of the meetings, Kouame, while referring to the meeting with Saini and other state government representatives, said, "In Haryana, we have a long history of engagement. We have been providing financing to Haryana since 1971. We have supported sectors such as electricity, energy, water...

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"So far, we have provided one billion (dollar) financing to Haryana in the past 50 years."

Sharing details about scaling up the financing, Kouame said, "In the next five years, we will provide as much financing as we have provided in the past 50 years... I am very encouraged and quite bullish about what we can do in Haryana and help Haryana play a big role in India becoming 'Viksit' (developed) by 2047."

"In addition to the one billion financing we have provided directly in the form of loans to Haryana, the state has also benefited from pan-India projects that the World Bank has financed," he said.

"The state will soon be home to a Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre with the assistance of the World Bank," the Haryana government said in a statement.

"This initiative of Global AI Center is set to position Haryana as a hub for artificial intelligence research and innovation. This collaboration is expected to boost the state's technological capabilities and contribute to the growth of the digital economy in the region," Saini said, as quoted in the statement.

"Other area where they expressed interest is Artificial Intelligence. They are also looking Haryana to become hub for cloud computing, AI and other related aspects. They are not asking for financing at the moment, but knowledge input," Kouame told PTI.

In agriculture, Haryana aims to achieve zero stubble burning by 2030.

As per the government statement, the Haryana Clean Air Project was also discussed.

This initiative is aimed at enhancing sustainable development in the state and improving air quality.

With a total project investment of Rs 3,647 crore, the World Bank has committed to providing a loan of Rs 2,498 crore to support the implementation of the project, the statement said.

The Haryana state government will contribute Rs 1,066 crore, and an additional Rs 83 crore has been allocated as a grant. This funding will be directed towards initiatives such as air pollution control measures, sustainable urban development, and the promotion of cleaner technologies, it said.

Kouame said, "We are also preparing a new country partnership framework for next five years which will be framed in partnership with the Ministry of Finance... it will frame how we will engage with India in the next five years, what would be the priority topics which we will support and how we will work with the Centre as well as the states.

"In that context, I was here to learn more about Haryana and Punjab's priorities and to hear from the chief ministers. Especially as we look at 2047 when India aims to become a developed nation, how it is playing out at the state level and what are their own (state's) ambitions," he said.

The development of key Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) projects in Haryana, including the crucial Delhi-Gurugram corridor, were also discussed in the meeting.

"The other areas of interest which they (Haryana govt) mentioned include transport, in particular Delhi-Gurugram project that has been posed to the World Bank and to the European Investment Bank. So, it will be a jointly financed project," Kouame said.

The state government also sought financing for a water-specific project. It could focus on irrigation or look at underground water and help build water table up. It can help improve supply of water for other uses, not just irrigation. Once the proposal is received, it will be considered in due course, he said.

Meanwhile, according to the government statement, Chief Minister Saini also expressed keen interest for collaboration with the World Bank on the ambitious interlinking of rivers project.

"The interlinking of rivers is expected to significantly improve irrigation facilities across the state and help implement the Amrit Sarovar Scheme, which aims to rejuvenate water bodies and enhance water storage capacity particularly in rural areas.

"This collaboration will ensure better water management, improve agricultural productivity, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of Haryana's water resources," the statement said.

Saini said "a team from Haryana will soon visit Gujarat to study the interlinking of rivers in Gujarat".

Chief Principal Secretary to Haryana Chief Minister, Rajesh Khullar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Arun Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department Anurag Rastogi, were among those present during the meeting.

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