Asian Development Bank (ADB) and India
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
History
1960s
The Asian Development Bank was conceived in the early 1960s as a financial institution that would be Asian in character and foster economic growth and cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world.
A resolution passed at the first Ministerial Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East in 1963 set that vision on the way to becoming reality.
The Philippines capital of Manila was chosen to host the new institution, which opened on 19 December 1966, with 31 members that came together to serve a predominantly agricultural region. Takeshi Watanabe was ADB's first President.
During the 1960s, ADB focused much of its assistance on food production and rural development.
1970s
When the world suffered its first oil price shock, ADB increased its support for energy projects, especially those promoting the development of domestic energy sources in member countries.
Cofinancing operations, in which ADB manages the funds of other organizations, began to provide additional resources for ADB projects and programs. ADB’s first bond issue in Asia—worth $16.7 million and issued in Japan—took place in 1970.
A major landmark was the establishment in 1974 of the Asian Development Fund to provide low-interest loans to ADB's poorest members.
By the end of the decade, some Asian economies had improved considerably and no longer needed ADB's assistance.
1980s
In the wake of the second oil crisis, ADB continued its support to infrastructure development, particularly energy projects. ADB also increased its support to social infrastructure, including projects involving microfinance, the environment, education, urban planning, health issues, and helping women and girls.
In 1982, ADB opened its first field office—in Bangladesh—to bring operations closer to the people in need. Later in the decade, ADB began working with nongovernment organizations to help disadvantaged groups.
1990s
In 1995, ADB became the first multilateral organization to have a Board-approved governance policy to ensure that development assistance fully benefits the poor. Policies on involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples were also put in place.
ADB's membership continued to expand with the addition of several Central Asian countries following the end of the Cold War.
In mid-1997, a severe financial crisis hit the region, setting back Asia's economic gains. ADB responded with projects and programs to strengthen financial sectors and create social safety nets for the poor. ADB approved its largest single loan—a $4 billion emergency loan to the Republic of Korea—and established the Asian Currency Crisis Support Facility to accelerate assistance.
In 1999—recognizing that economic development was bypassing many people in the region—ADB adopted poverty reduction as its overarching goal.
2000s
With the new century, ADB focused on helping its member countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
In 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic hit the region, making it clear that fighting infectious diseases requires regional cooperation. ADB began providing support at national and regional levels to help countries more effectively respond to avian influenza and the growing threat of HIV/AIDS.
ADB also had to respond to unprecedented natural disasters, committing more than $850 million for recovery in areas of India, Indonesia, Maldives, and Sri Lanka hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. In addition, a $1 billion line of assistance to help victims of the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan was set up.
In 2009, ADB's Board of Governors agreed to triple ADB's capital base from $55 billion to $165 billion, giving it more resources to respond to the global economic crisis.
2010s
Asia moved beyond the economic crisis to emerge as a new engine of global growth in 2010 when the region’s gross domestic product increased by 9%. This was more than double the global growth rate during the same period and well above the 5.9% rate recorded in the region in 2009.
While the speed and strength of its economic recovery surprised many, the region still faced daunting challenges and remained home to two thirds of the world’s poor and a growing problem of inequality. This increasing gap between the rich and poor focused ADB on the need to promote inclusive growth in the region.
In response to reforms initiated by the Government of Myanmar, ADB resumed operations in the country. In April 2014, ADB established offices in Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon.
In May 2014, plans were announced to combine the lending operations of ADB’s two main funds, the Asian Development Fund and its ordinary capital resources. The merger will boost ADB’s total annual lending and grant approvals to as high as $20 billion—50% more than the current level when it takes effect in January 2017.
As the era of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) draws to a close, the results have been mixed. While ADB’s work has contributed to Asia and the Pacific slashing extreme poverty by more than half, the region is still home to 1.2 billion people who live on $3.10 a day or less and almost three-quarters of the world’s underweight children. About 600 million people have no access to electricity and 1.7 billion still lack improved sanitation. A huge amount of work still must be done with the new Sustainable Development Goals as important guideposts.
ADB and India/ loans, state-wise
West Bengal, 2018/ $240 mn loan to provide safe drinking water
October 3, 2018: Press Information Bureau
Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed $240 million loan for providing safe and sustainable drinking water to about 1.65 million people in three districts of the state of West Bengal affected by arsenic, fluoride, and salinity.
The signatories to the West Bengal Drinking Water Sector Improvement Project were Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, who signed for the Government of India; and Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB.
Heavy reliance on groundwater puts most of the rural population in West Bengal at risk from arsenic and fluoride contamination that can lead to health problems including cancer and bone diseases. The project aims to mitigate these risks through provision of continuous potable water through metered connections to about 390,000 individual households in three districts – Bankura, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur.
Bihar, 2018/ to improve highways
November 26, 2018: Press Information Bureau
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed in New Delhi a $200 million loan on 26.11.20L8 to finance widening and upgrading of about 230 Kilometers State Highways in Bihar to all-weather standards with road safety features.
The signatories to the loan agreement for the Bihar State Highways III Project (BSHP-III) were Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed on behalf of the Government of India, and Mr. Rajeev P. Singh, Officer in-Charge of ADB's India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB. The project agreement was signed by Mr. Vipin Kumar, Resident Commissioner, Govt. of Bihar and Mr. Chandra Shekhar, Chief General Manager, Bihar State Roads Development Corporation Limited.
Since 2008, ADB has provided four loans to Bihar, amounting to $1.43 billion, to upgrade about 1,453 km of State Highways and to construct a New Bridge over the Ganga River near Patna.
This BSHP-III project, approved by the ADB Board in October this year, will involve upgrading State Highways to standard two-lane width with road safety features and paved shoulders including reconstructing, widening, and strengthening culverts and bridges. The Project will also build institutional capacity of the State for road design and maintenance and incorporate appropriate new technologies in the State's road sub-sector.
