World Bank soon to have office in Bihar

The country director of World Bank, Onno Ruhl, said on Friday that his organization is thinking in terms of opening an office in Bihar as “I am infatuated with the state and wish to contribute to its development.”

Addressing a function of Innovation Forum she lauded the developmental initiatives of chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Surprisingly, she spoke in Hindi and appreciated the Jeevika scheme of the state government.

The chief minister, while speaking on the occasion, said the state government has set a target to constitute 10 lakh self help groups (SHGs) in Bihar by 2017. He said around two lakh such groups have already been formed.

Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), an independent society set up by the state government and supported by World Bank, is running Jeevika with the objective of enhancing the social and economic empowerment of the rural poor in the state.

Nitish claimed that SHG women members have been successfully running public distribution system outlets.

He also awarded many Innovators who through water harvesting, mushroom cultivation and goat rearing have helped change the life of the people, especially in rural areas.