To strengthen the power and electricity situation of the state, the Haryana power department is now eying the loan of around $ 400 million from the World Bank, a media report said. A special team of six members of the World Bank recently visited the region to review the loan proposal.

The report published in a national daily, quoted Ashok Lavasa, financial commissioner & principal secretary (Power) as saying that the meeting between the power department officials and World Bank team was held last week. The government of Haryana, after the meeting, sent a loan request to the World Bank for a total amount of $1.1 billion, which will be disbursed in phases. Adding further, Mr. Lavasa said that the final decision on the allocation of the loan would be taken after the visit of a second World Bank team to Haryana early 2009.

If the aid is granted, the state, in the first phase will receive around $400-million for settling the transmission and distribution network. The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) plans to use around $70 million of the funds in implementing the Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Program-II (APDRP) of the Central government.