MUMBAI, NOV 4: World Bank President, James D Wolfensohn is expected to discuss future lending programmes with Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and visit various project sites in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and meet their respective chief ministers during his visit to India beginning November 6. Wolfensohn, who arrives in Mumbai on Monday night, is also scheduled to meet prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee besides meeting Sinha towards the end of his India tour. In the fiscal 2000-01, the World Bank has so far cleared financial assistance worth $2 billion for 12 projects in India. Sinha has impressed upon the World Bank to increase its commitment towards India from $3 billion to $4 billion per annum. The issue will be discussed during Wolfensohn's visit. After arriving in Mumbai, Wolfensohn is scheduled to meet Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Tuesday and discuss the progress of ongoing World Bank projects in the state. Wolfensohn would arrive in Delhi from Lucknow on November 13 and would be in the capital for two days. Wolfensohn will hold a special meeting with the Union minister of power Suresh Prabhu and his deputy Jayavantiben Mehta on November 14 at New Delhi to take stock of the ongoing power sector reforms in India. Mehta, while confirming the meeting, said the meet would discuss the various initiatives taken by the Centre as well as various state governments to reform the power sector. She however, declined to divulge further details. Top sources said that Wolfensohn's visit deserves importance especially when the regulatory framework is in place at the Central and state levels. Nearly 12 states have already formed regulatory commissions and tariff orders have been issued by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission, (MERC) Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission and Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission. The rest are likely to issue such orders in the near future. The World Bank is believed to have asked the Centre and various state governments to contain corruption, power thefts and transmission and distribution losses. It has also stressed on the need for increasing the pace of reforms. Sources said that issues related to enhancing the funding limits may come up during the proposed meeting. It must be mentioned that Prabhu, who has recently taken over the power ministry, has already announced that he will give top priority for tthe speedy recovery of dues amounting to over Rs 15,000 crore from state electricity boards (SEBs) and expedite the reforms process. He has also declared that a special purpose vehicle would be set up to take care of the environmental aspect while carrying out power projects. In the meanwhile, Wolfensohn will visit Maharashtra on November 7 and hold talks with officials of the state government and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB).
