In June 2025, the World Bank (WB) board of Executive Directors (ED) approved the ‘Karnataka Water Security and Resilience Program’ for USD 426 million(mn) aimed at enhancing water security and resilience for over four million residents in Bengaluru(Karnataka), India’s leading tech hub.
- The fund will be provided by Washington, D.C., United States of America(USA) based International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) with a maturity of 20 years and 5 years’ grace period.
- The WB also approves USD 150 mn for Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Safety (TNWES) programme.
Key Highlights
i.The project plans on constructing 9 Sewage Water Treatment Plants (STPs) to prevent the sewage waters from flowing into lakes and drains. Then the treated wastewater will be reused for industrial purposes and for recharging groundwater in the Greater Bengaluru area.
- Additionally, the programme will provide sewerage connections to 1,00,000 households for the first time.
ii.These initiatives will boost the revenues of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and help mobilize USD 5 mn in private capital.
iii.The WB also plans to collaborate with the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre(KSNDMC) to strengthen early warning systems for extreme weather events.
- As part of this effort, advanced flood modeling will be developed using computer simulations to predict when and where flooding might occur in the city.
iv.This early prediction of flooding is expected to prevent losses of averaging over USD 1.2 billion that bengaluru has faced every year since 2009.
World Bank approves USD 150 million for TNWES Programme:
The World Bank has approved a new USD 150 million Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Safety(TNWES) Programme to help the state enhance access to quality employment for 1.6 million women and boost female labour force participation.
- The loan from the IBRD has a maturity of 25 years with a grace period of 5 years.
- The programme aims to strengthen the state’s capacity, technical partnerships, and institutional structures to support women’s employment.
Key Highlights:
i.Under the TNWES programme, more than 6,00,000 women will receive skills training and career support, and 18,000 women entrepreneurs will receive incubation support to set up their businesses.
- To achieve this, a state-level platform, supported by private capital, will help women gain access to finance and raise awareness of financial products such as loan guarantee fund and micro grants for entrepreneurs.
ii.The WB has already helped in setting up many safe hostels for women in TN. Now this operation will include the following services:
- Creche facilities
- Elderly care
- More options for safe transport
- Hotline call-centres to report harassment cases
iii.The programme also includes developing a common results framework, implementing the Tamil Nadu Women’s Policy, introducing state-level policies, and creating a regulatory framework to encourage investment in non-farm sectors and women-led enterprises.
About International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) :
Headquarters – Washington, D.C., the United States of America(USA)
Established – 1944
