India, World Bank ink loan agreement on energy efficiency
New Delhi, Aug 28 : India on Tuesday signed a $220-million loan agreement with the World Bank to scale up energy saving steps in residential and public sectors.
It inked another $80-million guarantee agreement for 'India Energy Efficiency Scale-Up Programme' that is expected to avoid lifetime emissions of 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and also help prevent additional generation of an estimated 10 gigawatt of greenhouse gases, an official statement said.
This would be over 50 per cent of India's target of 19.6 gigawatt as per the Paris Accord, it added.
The $220 million loan has a five-year grace period and a maturity of 19 years. The $80 million guarantee will partially cover repayment risks to commercial lenders or investors to enable Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) raise funds for its programme, the statement said.
The government said that the programme, to be implemented by the EESL, will strengthen EESL's institutional capacity and enhance its access to commercial financing.
Economic Affairs Joint Secretary Sameer Kumar Khare said that the agreement was one of the several steps taken by the government to meet its climate change commitments to reduce carbon intensity by 33-35 per cent by 2030.
Acting World Bank Country Director in India, Hisham Abdo, said that the programme will help India move further towards a more resource efficient growth path.
He said that the additional guarantee from the World Bank will enable the EESL to access new sources of commercial funding, diversify its investor base and establish a track record for future access to financial markets.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
