The World Bank has approved a proposal to provide $300 million to Bangladesh to help strengthen its local governance against the pandemic shock and make them resilient to future shocks. The move will benefit almost 40 million urban residents across the country. 

The Local Government COVID-19 Response and Recovery Project of the global lender will support urban local government institutions to effectively respond to and recover from the pandemic, reported Prothomalo.

Under the project, 329 municipalities and 10 city corporations will receive funding bi-annually to improve critical urban services delivery of facilities and infrastructure, local economic recovery, and preparedness to climate impacts, disaster, and future disease outbreaks, according to a statement issued by The World Bank.

Workers and labor in intensive-labor projects, mostly in the informal sector, were affected most by the pandemic-induced disruption. The World Bank’s project will support these sectors. Urban poor dependent on day-to-day labor were among the most affected. 

"But the city corporations and the municipalities can play a critical role in helping the urban poor recover from the pandemic as well as get cities prepared to handle future shocks," Mercy Tembon, World Bank’s country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, said. 

(SAM)