India-ADB Development Partnership
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ABOUT THE COVER The cover painting, done by renowned Gond artist, Bhajju Shyam, is based on the concept of the Tree of Life. It is a metaphor for inclusive and sustainable growth that is the ultimate focus of the India-ADB development partnership. The Tree of Life shows that mankind’s achievements are ultimately rooted in nature which is the primal source of all energy. It is nature’s bounty that enables us to undertake devel- opment work in different sectors (represented by the branches) which over time, impacts all our lives (the furthest tips of the branches representing the development outcomes of the different sectors). The animals representing ADB’s work in the 5 sectors are the cow (for agriculture and water resource management), the tiger (for energy), the horse (for urban), the elephant (for transport) and the bull (for finance). The 5 main branches of the tree represent the main outputs in each sector. Thus, the agricul- ture and water resource sector is depicted through canals and fields; energy through transmission lines; urban through water pipes; transport through roads; and finance through coins. As one moves higher up the tree — a metaphor for the development process going on over time — one sees the outcomes and impact of the development work on the common man. Thus, the branch denoting agriculture and water resources management shows farmers using water from the irrigation canals, tilling the land, and going to the market to sell their produce. The energy branch shows genera- tion and distribution of clean power. The urban branch shows improved water supply, and modern cit- ies with skyscrapers and the metro train. The transport branch depicts improved connectivity through an expanded road network, while the finance branch symbolizes financial inclusion and the develop- ment that it facilitates. The overall development impact of ADB operations in each dsector is depicted in further detail through beautiful Gond paintings placed at the beginning of the write-ups for each sector. Using sim- ple tribal motifs, these Gond paintings remind us of the importance to grow in harmony with nature so that the Tree of Life continues to provide for all our needs equitably and sustainably. ABOUT THE GOND PEOPLE The Gonds, the largest adivasi community of India, are of Dravidian origin and can be traced to the pre-Aryan era. The word Gond comes from Kond, which means green mountains. They are spread over a large area, stretching from the Godavari gorges in the south to the Vindhya Mountains in the north. Nature, especially trees, are of vital importance to the Gonds. Various trees are considered Gods by them — Badadev, the greatest of all gods, is represented by the saja tree and Thakur Dev is associated with the pakri tree. Traditionally, Gond art-form was made with natural pigments on walls. With time, they started painting on canvas, and today, they create contemporary themes that are full of myths and metaphors stemming from their tradition. ‘We noticed there was a tree in every story they told – ask them to draw a person, they draw a person under a tree. Ask them for a river, they draw a river running past a tree. Ask them for a bird, and it’s a bird sitting in a tree.’ — Gita Wolf, Director, Tara Books while referring to Gond artists. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A team of consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers Private Limited (PwC), has assisted ADB staff in preparing this publication. Concept, art-direction, and design of the publication have been done by Ishan Khosla Design, New Delhi. (www.ishankhosladesign.com). The Gond paintings have been made by Bhajju Shyam, Kalawati Shyam, Anand Shyam and Sukhmani who are all from Madhya Pradesh. Most of the photos in this publication have been taken by Rakesh Sahai ([email protected]), a Delhi based professional photographer. India-ADB Development Partnership © 2011 Asian Development Bank All rights Reserved. Published in 2011. Printed in India ISBN 978-92-9092-461-6 Publication Stock No. RPT114033 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Governors, or the governments they repre- sent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. ADB encourages printing or copying information exclusively for personal and noncommercial use with proper acknowledgement of ADB. Users are restricted from reselling, redistributing, or creating derivative works for commercial purposes without the express, written consent of ADB. Note: In this report, “$” refers to US dollars. This report was prepared under Asian Development Bank’s Technical Assistance TA 7734 IND: Knowledge Management for Inclusive Growth. Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel +63 2 632 4444 Fax +63 2 636 2444 www.adb.org For orders, please contact: Asian Development Bank India Resident Mission Fax +91 11 268 7 0955 [email protected] Office of the President MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT, ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK It gives me great pleasure to pay tribute, through this commemorative publication, to 25 years of suc- cessful collaboration between India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The period since 1986 has undoubtedly been one of the most eventful in India’s economic history. In less than a generation, this nation of more than 1 billion people has become globalized, competitive, confident, and forward-looking. That India was able to make this remarkable transition with minimal socioeconomic disruption is a testa- ment to the sound and balanced macro-economic management of its Government, and the immense capa- bility and resourcefulness of its people. It has been a privilege for ADB to partner with India during this exciting and challenging journey. Over the past decade, the Government of India has focused on facilitating inclusive and sustainable growth, combating poverty, reducing interstate disparities, developing infrastructure across all sectors, creating an enabling regulatory environment for the private sector, improving the delivery of public services, strength- ening e-governance, and advancing financial inclusion and skill development. ADB has been responding to the Government’s evolving priorities by extending operations to less developed states and regions, and to several new sectors and subsectors. ADB and the Government are working together in several “frontier” areas. These include pursuing pub- lic–private partnerships, exploring the scope for nonsovereign lending and credit enhancements, and incor- porating climate change adaptation and mitigation, gender, governance, and capacity building concerns into all its operations. This special publication provides an overview of the development effectiveness and innovativeness of ADB’s India program. It will be read by a wide audience including government, development practitioners, civil society, and academia. I congratulate all of ADB’s stakeholders and partners on this occasion, and look forward to building on our productive development partnership in the years ahead. Haruhiko Kuroda President Office of the Vice President (Operations Group 1) MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-PRESIDENT (OPERATIONS 1), ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for ADB that it completes 25 years of its development part- nership with India this year. India has made significant social and economic progress over this period. It has emerged as a major contributor to global economic output, and is poised to become one of the main engines of global growth in the coming years. The Government of India is taking on the challenges of facili- tating inclusive and sustainable growth in a strategic and focused manner, and the results are already visible. India is making steady progress in achieving most of the Millennium Development Goals. Its private sector has grown at a rapid pace in recent years and competes effectively in the global arena. ADB is privileged to have played a part in supporting India’s development efforts at both the national and state levels. Over the past 2 years, I have had the opportunity to visit ADB projects in several states and to interact with key stakeholders from the Government and the private sector. I have also met the beneficiaries of many ADB projects. I am pleased that this publication captures the difference that some of these projects are making in the lives of the Indian people. It has been particularly fulfilling to see the spirit of partnership with which all our stakeholders and cli- ents in India work with ADB. And it is this partnership that we will be celebrating during a special event in New Delhi on 17 and 18 October 2011. I would like to express my appreciation to the Government of India for its strong support, and assure it of ADB’s continued commitment as a responsive, reliable, and effective development partner. Xiaoyu Zhao Vice-President (Operations 1) South Asia Department FOREWORD Special milestones such as silver jubilees provide us with the opportunity to pause, reflect, transform our experience into new knowledge and redouble our commitment to address the development chal- lenges of our developing member countries with energy and enthusiasm. This landmark publication helps us to this end by providing a panoptic view of how ADB’s operations in India have evolved over the past 25 years in close alignment with India’s development priorities. The breadth and depth of ADB’s ongoing India operations is impressive – it currently stretches across 22 states and 5 sectors including transport, energy, urban, finance and public management, and agriculture and water resources sectors.