PESHAWAR: The World Bank has so far spent $31 million out of total $44.95 million committed for five development projects in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata) under Multi Donors Trust Fund (MDTF).
WB country Director Rachid Bin Masoud disclosed this during a meeting with Fata Additional Chief Secretary Mohammad Azam Khan here. Mr Masoud sai that the World Bank had spent 69 percent of the total committed amount so far.
The WB official said that the five projects included the governance support project (GSP), economic revitalisation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata (ERKF), Fata emergency roads recovery project (Fata ERRP), Fata urban centres project (FUCP), and Fata rural livelihood and community infrastructure project (Fata RLCIP).
The WB country director also shed light on projects carried out under Fata RLCIP, adding that feedback from beneficiaries indicated increasing trust in state institutions.
He said that ERKF project had approved matching grants for a total of 1,253 SMEs (Fata 371), of which 243 grants valued at $2.21 million had already been disbursed in Fata.
The MDTF was established for the militancy-hit areas of Fata, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to support reconstruction, rehabilitation, reforms and other interventions needed to build peace and create conditions for sustainable developments. The fund is administered by the World Bank and supported by 11 donor countries.