Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project

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The project is consistent with the World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework (CPF FY18-22) across all its three pillars, viz.:(i) support resource efficient growth;( ii) enhance competitiveness and enable job creation, and (iii) invest in human capital and improvements in service delivery. The proposed project aims to promote socioeconomic development and improve the quality of life of rural communities living in tribal geographies in the state of Tripura through a multi-sectoral approach. More specifically, the project aims at improving the economic opportunity and transport connectivity for rural populations, including tribal women. Transport connectivity will be improved through a statewide rural road improvement program in support of rural road efficiency and accessibility to social and economic amenities such as markets, schools, and other services. As a direct contribution to rural economic opportunity and enhanced inclusivity, the project will improve rural livelihoods via diversified production clusters and agriculture logistics including aggregation, storage facilities, and supply chain markets. Additionally, the project will support human capital development in these geographies by enhancing school complexes and learning environments, improving access to these facilities, addressing retention of secondary students, and improving early grade teacher capacities. The Project has the following 4 components:Component 1: Strengthening Foundations for Economic Development (US$90 million: This component will focus onstrengthening the foundations for economic development in the tribal blocks through an integrated set ofinvestments in rural livelihoods and rural roads that can both ease access to markets and to schools. The componentwill finance: (i) consultancy services to support the formation of producer groups (PGs) and producer organizations(POs), and build their capacity for diversified and resilient production; (ii) sub-grants to PG and POs for theirestablishment costs, inputs, equipment, services, working capital and demonstrations/pilots; (iii) sub-grants to modelcluster level federations to establish Livelihood Resource Centers that provide need-based facilities and services forvalue addition and market access; and (iv) market-focused assessments and pilots. The component will also finance:(i) upgrading and rehabilitation of approximately 416.67 km (121 segments) of rural access roads and establishing pilotroadside rural transportation hubs; (ii) strengthening management system, including: developing Road AssetManagement System; (iii) preparing Integrated Transport Network Development Plan; (iv) developing ElectronicProject Management System and; (v) design and construction supervision of consultancy services. The roadimprovement includes, upgrading 28.35 km of earth roads; 159.21 km of brick sole roads to bituminous surface roads; and rehabilitation/strengthening of approximately 228.91 km of paved roads, across the 12 aspirational tribal blocks.Component 2: Investing in Services to Develop Human Capital (US$35 million): This component will supportinvestments to increase the average years of educational attainment and enhanced preparedness for labor markettransitions for students in the 23 tribal blocks and especially in the 12 priority tribal blocks. The component willfinance (i) training of primary school teachers on Teaching at Righ t Level, (ii) in-service teacher training andstructured lesson plans/guidebooks informed by data/evidence from State Level Achievement Surveys and Teacher Subject Knowledge Assessments, (iii) roll-out of school-based vocational education aligned withstudents’ aspirations, aptitude, and industry demand, and (iv) improvements and expansion of facilities in the seniorsecondary schools in the 12 aspirational tribal blocks. Last-mile connectivity, coupled with school facilityimprovements, capacity building of teachers, and development of vocational curriculum together will help addressthe core constraints to improved educational outcomes in the tribal blocks, especially average years of educationalattainment and labor market readiness in the 12 aspirational tribal blocks.Component 3: Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Service Delivery (US$15 million): The objective of thiscomponent is to strengthen capacity of local institutions in the tribal blocks for improved service delivery. This willfocus specifically on (i) strengthening the capacity for need-based village planning; (ii) strengthening citizenengagement and grievance redress; and (iii) improving field level monitoring systems in the 23 tribal blocks to moreeffectively coordinate and deliver on services. The project will finance: (i) training and capacity building of tribalelected representatives, lower tier officials and community institutions for need-based village planning; (ii) core competency trainings (IT, procurement and others) for lower tier officials in the agriculture, education and roadsectors; (iii) consultancy services, technical assistance agencies and digital infrastructure to build a decision supportsystem, a mobile based citizen service platform and improve an existing beneficiary management and grievanceredress system; and (iv) project management costs associated with setting up dedicated Project Management Unitand Project Implementation Units, including incremental operating costs, monitoring and evaluation, etc.Component 4: Contingent Emergency Response Component (US$0): Following a natural disaster event, the GoT mayrequest the Bank to re-allocate project funds to support response and reconstruction. This component could also beused to channel additional funds should they become available because of an emergency.