India and the World Bank on Tuesday signed a loan agreement worth $150 million for the e-delivery of public services development policy under the National e-governance plan (NeGP).

NeGP is a flagship e-governance initiative of the Central Government aimed at transforming the service delivery system across the country.

This $150-million loan from the international bank for reconstruction and development (IBRD) has a five-year grace period and a maturity of 18 years.

The signatories to the loan agreement were Mr Venu Rajamony, Joint Secretary (multilateral institutions) on behalf of the Indian Government, and Mr Roberto Zagha, Country Director, World Bank, India.

This loan will support NeGP's countrywide plans of increasing online services for citizens in their locality to improve the quality of basic governance in areas of concern to the common man.

While this World Bank loan will not target specific services per se, it will support the various policies and institutional actions of the Central Government in accessing more services online as well as in increasing its outreach to the common man.

“The NeGP has plans to significantly widen citizen access to e-services. We are certain that this loan from World Bank will support NeGP in its efforts to ensure efficient, cost effective, accessible and transparent delivery of public services across the country”, said Mr Rajamony.

Mr Roberto Zaga said that the Indian Government's aim of providing web-enabled anytime, anywhere access to information and e-services can have significant social and economic benefits.

“Reducing the financial and opportunity costs of obtaining specific services through enabling policy measures can go a long way in transforming service delivery in the country,” Mr Zaga said.

> krsrivats@thehindu.co.in

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