The World Bank has agreed to provide US$ 314 million (approximately 37 billion rupees) for Sri Lanka to develop education and urban development sectors in order to meet new challenges of the 21st century, the Ministry of Financial and Planning said.

The government has requested the World Bank for funds to expedite development programs which have already been formulated in the education and urban development sectors with foreign assistance.

Apparently giving preference to political considerations over eligibility norms, the Centre is all set to clear the Kochi Metro Rail project, which will have three coaches in the first phase and will thus be the smallest metro in the country. The matter is likely to come up in the Union Cabinet meeting on Thursday. Sources in the Union Urban Development Ministry said that last month, the Ministry forwarded the Rs 5,200-crore project connecting Alwaye to Pettah in the district to the Union Cabinet for final approval.

LUCKNOW: Faced with a host of complaints pertaining to drainage and sewerage works executed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Lucknow Municipal Corporation on Monday decided to get the works examined by a technical agency. Municipal commissioner NP Singh said that if possible the works will be examined under the technical guidance of experts from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K).

Dharavi's officer on special duty (OSD) and the committee of experts (CoE) added one more year to the already delayed Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) by coming up with alternative plans in mid-2009. Gautam Chatterjee, OSD, and the CoE, with three of its 10 members from the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centre (SPARC), rejected the existing 5-sector model that had been approved by at least 12 government departments and even the Planning Commission of India.

Realty firm DLF and Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) have joined hands to construct a 16-lane road covering 8.3 km in Gurgaon at an investment of up to `600 crores to ease heavy traffic in the city.

DLF, instrumental in development of major part of Gurgaon, has signed an agreement with HUDA for upgradation of road from NH-8 toll plaza to Sector 55-56, sources said.

The four major commercial hubs of South Delhi will be connected via the Metro, once the Phase III of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is complete (DMRC) in 2016. Officials in the Delhi Metro said Sarojini Nagar and South Extension will have dedicated stations, while the the existing stations at INA Market and Lajpat Nagar will be converted into interchange stations. The upcoming 59-km-long Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar-Shiv Vihar corridor has been specially aligned from Bhikaji Cama Place towards Sarojini Nagar to provide direct connectivity.

Faridkot: The state government had acquired large chunks of land for some specific projects many years ago. With the government failing to implement the projects, the land at many places has become a cause of protracted litigation. The original owners of the land, mainly farmers, want it back as its market value has increased manifold.

For instance, in 1977-78, the Education Department had acquired about 22 acres along the Kotkapura-Faridkot road for the construction of a B.Ed college. That time, it was a waterlogged area and the farmers readily agreed to give their land.

Manila The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide assistance of USD 6.25 billion to India over three years for various projects, including those in the energy and education sectors.

"ADB's three-year country operations business plan for India for 2012-2014 will provide lending assistance of USD 6.25 billion to support inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth," Secretary, ADB, Robert Dawson said.