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Bhubaneswar, Dec 8: The Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom has agreed in-principle to provide £5 million (Rs 48.327 crore) as technical assistance for the ‘Orissa Support to Urban Infrastructure Development Programme’ project, said an official of housing and urban development department Monday.
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After getting approval from the Union ministry of urban development and department of economic affairs, the UK agency has decided to fund the project as technical support to state, the official said.
“We had sought grant of £25 million (Rs 218.79 crore) from DFID for funding urban infrastructure development initiatives and reforms and they have agreed to provide £5 million,” the official added.
The agency and H&UD department have jointly selected Deloitte Touche Tohamatsu India Private Limited (DTTIPL) for providing technical assistance for the implementation of the programme.
DFID’s support would complement the assistance of KfW, Germany, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government to contribute to the Orissa Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (OUIDF). KfW is pitching in with Rs 357 crore for urban development.
The DFID assistance would see creation of a municipal reforms implementation cell in the directorate of municipal administration (DMA), strengthening of DMA, capacity building of urban agencies in an overall project management cycle and overall municipal financial management and creating a regional institute for urban management and governance for policy support design.
However, the detailed scope of work of the agency will be decided at a high-level meeting here at the Secretariat December 12.
