Bhubaneswar, Sep 21 -: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed in principle to provide loan assistance of Rs.1.2 billion for the Orissa Integrated Agriculture and Water Management project.Monich Yakoyama, ADB's senior water management specialist for South Asian countries, disclosed during his visit to Bhubaneswar that an ADB team was examining the details of the project.Yakoyama, who held discussions with senior state officials here today, said that the expert team was studying different small irrigation projects, watershed projects, canal systems and water panchayats and people's participation in water management.The project plans to involve the maximum number of self-help groups to partner water management for increasing agricultural production.The ADB will release $180 million in the first phase and would supervise implementation of the water management projects on a regular basis. Special care would be taken to rehabilitate families who would be displaced during execution of the irrigation projects.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
