devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
Dry Zone Urban Water and Sanitation Project L2477
The Project has three principal thrusts to support research and data collection, institutional development, and infrastructure investment. It comprises three components: Component 1 covers the rehabilitation, expansion, and development of water and sanitation infrastructure for major towns in the northwestern dry zone (Chilaw, Mannar, Puttalam, and Vavuniya), including urban and periurban water supply, and septage management and sanitation. Component 2 provides the foundations to (i) support decentralization of service delivery functions to regional offices; (ii) improve water resource management, coordination, and planning ability; and (iii) increase public awareness. Component 3 is designed to strengthen institutional capacity for project management and implementation activities.
L2977
The proposed project (the Project) to be funded through additional financing of $40  million from ADB s special fund resources will not change the scope of the original project. The Project will supplement funding of the original project to meet cost overruns to ensure that safe drinking water and sanitation services are provided to the four urban areas of Chilaw, Mannar, Puttalam, and Vavuniya and to achieve the full impact envisaged under the original project. The reasons for the cost overruns are (i) original estimates were based on feasibility studies in 2007 and not on detailed designs, (ii) increase in cost 2008 estimates caused by price escalations between 2009 and 2011 , (iii) increase in distribution pipe diameters to cater for future population growth, and (iv) enhanced water treatment improvements for rehabilitation works at the Chilaw and Puttalam water treatment plants. There will be no changes to the sanitation infrastructure and existing arrangements under the original loan will be followed. The closing date of the Project is December 2016, which will be synchronized with the original project after extension of closing date of the original loan .
Supporting Electricity Supply Reliability Improvement The project will directly benefit the development of lagging areas. It will cover 106 rural electrification schemes  and 2,372 kilometers (km) of low voltage line extensions. Innovative hybrid mini grids, consisting of wind-solar and efficient diesel generation systems coupled with energy storage (lithium-ion batteries), will be implemented in the small isolated islands.  As a result, the project will help to ensure inclusiveness and access to electricity by all the population. The project is expected to provide electricity to about 35,710 rural households,  including the former conflict-affected Northern and Eastern provinces as well as Uva and North Central provinces where the current electrification level is lower than in other parts of the country. Improvement of the medium voltage network will enhance the quality and reliability of electricity supply to more than 493,000 consumers. The project is consistent with the interim country partnership strategy for Sri Lanka of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  It builds on previous ADB interventions focused on supporting transmission and distribution investments to expand access to clean and reliable electricity, and renewable energy development.
COVID-19: Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Line of Credit Project - Third Additional Financing Based on the successful implementation of the ongoing project, the government has requested ADB for additional financing to expand and deepen its outreach to targeted SME segments, in particular (i) women-led/owned SMEs, and (ii) tea smallholders as key export-oriented SME cluster.  An $80 million new additional loan was included in the recent Country Operational Business Plan (COBP) as 2020 firm project. The consultation mission on 20-22 June 2019 confirmed government's commitment on the proposed new additional financing.
Eastern and North Central Provincial Road Project (formerly Road Network Project [Provincial Roads]) The Eastern and North Central Provincial Road Project (the Project) rehabilitated about 370 kilometers (km) of provincial roads in Eastern Province and North Central Province (NCP).  Consulting services were provided to support project implementation, strengthening the project management capability of the Eastern Provincial Road Development Department (EPRDD) and North Central Provincial Road Development Authority (NCPRDA). Overall road sector management capacity in both provinces were enhanced by (i) modernizing the EPRDD office, and (ii) improving the capacity of EPRDD and NCPRDA to manage road assets.
Skills Sector Enhancement Program ADB and the Government of Sri Lanka are working together to provide people in the country with the skills they need to get good jobs. The Skills Sector Enhancement Program is improving the teacher training and the government's overall quality assurance efforts in regards to technical training. It is also helping the Sri Lankan government analyze where the gaps are greatest in the labor market's demand for skills. This is allowing technical training to be focused on the areas where there is the most demand. The program is also working to increase the number of students enrolled in technical programs to 172,000 and is providing financial help to at least 18,000 students from disadvantaged situations. The program is working to improve coordination, monitor and evaluation of skills development efforts and strengthen performance management of publicly financed training initiatives.
Technical Education Development The Project's impact will be the development of more mid-level and highly skilled human resources who will contribute to economic growth and social development. The Project supports the Government's poverty reduction strategy and economic goals by improving the country's skill-based competitiveness. The Project's envisioned outcome is improved access and strengthened capacity of the TEVT system in technical and technological education to meet labor market needs.
Secondary Towns and Rural Community-Based Water Supply and Sanitation Project (Additional Financing) The overall goal of the Project is to contribute to poverty alleviation efforts and to promote human development, by improving access to safe water and sanitation of poor populations, thereby decreasing water borne diseases and reducing the amount of resouces spent in these activities. The Project objectives are to (a) provide safe water to 969,000 people and sanitation to 171,500 in five urban areas and in the rural districts of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura; and (b) increase the capacity of the Government of Sri Lanka to provide safe water by institutional strengthening of the water sector institutions.
Railway Efficiency Improvement Project The project was prepared to support immediate improvements in the operation, maintenance, safety, skills development, and implementation capacity of SLR. The project will (i)improve the operational efficiency of the railway network by addressing key operating bottlenecks with the modernization of the telecommunications, ticketing, operations headquarter, and train control center systems; (ii) upgrade the railway workshop at Ratmalana, and procure rolling stock and track maintenance equipment; (iii) improve railway safety mainly through the construction of housing blocks to support the future resettlement of encroachers, and the improvement of Colombo Fort and Maradana stations; and (iv) upgrade the Sri Lanka German Railway Technical Training Center (SLGRTTC); and (v) support project implementation capacity and readiness, notably for the future modernization of the Kelani Valley line and other suburban lines. The project will increase the efficiency and attractiveness of the railway system, thus contributing to the improvement of the market share and financial sustainability of SLR.
Fiscal Management Efficiency Project (formerly Fiscal Management Reform Program II) The project aims to ensure greater sustainability of public investments in Sri Lanka, particularly in the less developed regions, through more effective public resource management. It seeks to do so by enhancing the fiscal space (i.e., availability of greater resources) as a result of bringing about improved tax administration and compliance as well as more efficient public financial management. This will be largely attained through establishment of two management information system- one related to revenue and the other to expenditure management.
Second Integrated Road Investment Program-Tranche 3 The investment program of $900 million multitranche financing facility (MFF) approved on 29 September 2017 will improve access to the road network in Sri Lanka's rural areas, supporting rural economic and social development. It will upgrade and maintain about 3,400 kilometers (km) of rural access roads to an all-weather standard; rehabilitate and maintain about 340 km of national roads in Eastern, Northern, Uva, and Western provinces; and improve the capacity of road agencies with respect to safeguards, road safety, maintenance, research capacity, and road design and construction. Tranche 3 will finance the third slice of projects identified during the appraisal of the MFF, using the time-slice approach.
Food Security and Livelihood Recovery Emergency Assistance Project The Government of Sri Lanka requested emergency assistance in May 2022 in response to a food insecurity crisis in the country to ensure access to food and protect livelihoods for the poor and vulnerable. From May 2022 to date, food security and livelihoods have continued to deteriorate, and the emergency is expected to worsen through 2022 and into 2023. Against this background of a national emergency, the project aims to improve food security and protect the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable nationwide, especially women and children, by expanding direct financial support to compensate for food price increases, supporting livelihood development activities to counteract food shortages and income losses, and enhancing social protection systems to ensure that the project reaches its intended beneficiaries and to strengthen responsiveness to future emergencies.
Conflict-Affected Region Emergency Project Component A: Reestablishing Connectivity: This component rehabilitates (i) 65 kilometers (km) of national roads (B category) in
Northern Province, (ii) 100 km of provincial roads in Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts,19 and (iii) 100 km of municipal and urban council roads in Northern Province and rural roads in the adjoining villages of North Central Province. Rehabilitation of these roads increases connectivity for the returning IDPs, facilitating the provision of basic services and livelihood recovery and encourage increased investment. Local and provincial council roads serve communities located away from the centers of economic activity which have high poverty incidence and lack economic opportunities. This component focuses on some critical sections of the road network that complements the work supported by other development partners as well as future planned work, including work by ADB.

Component B: Restoring Utilities: The project supports the reconstruction of the Chunnakam grid station and the Kilinochchi-Chunnakam transmission line. This provides the essential link to Jaffna, as JICA is supporting the reconstruction of the damaged transmission line from Vavuniya to Kilinochchi.

The water supply subcomponent supports the water supply schemes at Echchalampattu in Trincomalee district and Point Pedro in Jaffna district. These schemes are
designed to meet the needs of resettled IDPs. The population relies mainly on dug and tube wells for their water needs; this water is not always fit for consumption, nor the wells easy to use.

Component C: Improving Basic Social Services: component restores some essential basic social services and livelihood opportunities of the population by (i) restoring about 10 small and medium-sized irrigation schemes as agriculture is the main source of livelihood;20 (ii) rebuilding 10 administrative offices and providing related facilities. 

Agriculture is the key economic activity for a majority of the population in Northern Province. The province is in the dry zone, and rains from the northwest monsoon are limited and
irregular. The cropping intensity in the province remains low as a majority of tanks and canals are dilapidated due to limited or no investment since the early 1980s. ADB is also exploring the possibility of a grant project which will complement components A and C by rehabilitating 200 km of field irrigation canals and about 150 km of rural access roads with extensive IDP participation.

Component D: Legal Infrastructure: This component rehabilitates courthouses and related facilities in up to nine strategic locations in Northern Province.
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Line of Credit Project-Additional Financing This additional financing will provide loans to Sri Lankan banks to encourage them to grow their SME portfolios; and will extend the current successful project, which otherwise would close ahead of schedule, through March 2020.
Financial Sector Stability and Reforms Program (Subprogram 1) The program adopts a programmatic policy-based loan (PBL) modality with two subprograms of $200 million each to properly sequence reforms and ensure the needed flexibility while implementing multi-year policy reforms in a crisis period. Subprogram 1 prioritizes immediate reforms to enhance the crisis management regulatory framework and stabilizing the financial sector while subprogram 2 prioritizes follow-on reforms to build a resilient and inclusive financial system. It will be supported by an attached transaction technical assistance (TA) for subprogram 2 and post-program partnership framework (PPPF) activities. A programmatic approach that combines policy-based loans, TA, and knowledge support was selected as it allows complex and challenging reforms to be addressed comprehensively.
Integrated Road Investment Program-Tranche 1 The project proposed for financing under the requested PFR is a slice of Project 1, which is the project in Southern Province, under the Integrated Road Investment Program, including three components:
(i)	Road improvement in Southern Province: The component will improve and/or maintain 560 km of rural access roads and 130 km of national roads. The rural access roads, including 510 km of local roads and 50 km of provincial will be on access routes between the rural hubs and the trunk road network. The rural access roads will be improved to all-weather standards, and be maintained for three years. The national roads will connect the rural access roads to adjacent socioeconomic centers. About 110 km of national road corridor will be improved and maintained under road management contracts for seven years, and the other 20 km of national road sections will be improved together with the rural access roads and maintained for three years.
(ii)	Capacity development: The component will build the capacity of road agencies on road asset management, project management, and contract administration. The road agencies including the Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping (MOHPS), Road Development Authority (RDA), and the provincial and local road agencies. RDA will take lead in developing a harmonized road asset management approach in the level of central, provincial, and local governments. Individual consulting services will be engaged to assist the MOHPS and RDA in developing their own capacity and in the skill transfer program from RDA to provincial and local road agencies in Southern Province.
(iii)	Project preparation: The component will carry out feasibility study, and engineering design for the subsequent tranches. The scope will cover projects in Sabaragamuwa Province, Kalutara District of Western Province, Central Province, North Central Province, and North Western Province.
Small and Medium Enterprise Regional Development Project By providing access to medium-to long-term funds, a critical market gap, and encouraging the PCBs to proactively seek financing opportunities among regional SMEs, the Small and Medium Enterprise Regional Development Project (SMERDP) seeks to redress existing regional imbalances and enhance the growth and development of regional SMEs. Simultaneously, access to business development services can foster linkages to appropriate technology and target markets. Access to scale economies, equity, and skills can be facilitated through the development of SME value chain clusters.
Economic Stabilization Program The special policy-based loan (SPBL) is part of a comprehensive economic reform program led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is underpinned by its $3.0 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement for balance of payment (BOP) support to (i) restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, (ii) safeguard financial stability, and (iii) undertake structural reforms to unlock Sri Lanka's growth potential. All program measures of the IMF's EFF are mindful of the need to protect the most vulnerable and improving governance. Aligned with the IMF's EFF, the SPBL is critical in building public confidence on macroeconomic stabilization by facilitating government's efforts for fiscal consolidation, restoring price stability, building external buffer, and financial stability at the initial stages of the reform program.
Greater Colombo Wastewater Management Project The Project is designed to improve the urban environment and public health for the urban and suburban residents in Colombo through improvements to wastewater management services. The Project will support (i) upgrading the sewerage infrastructure, including pumping stations, sewer pipes, and discharge outfalls; (ii) strengthening institutional and operational capacity in asset management, financial management, operational performance monitoring, environmental regulatory compliance, customer services, and pro-poor sanitation services; and (iii) project management and implementation.
Integrated Road Investment Program (Tranche 4) Tranche 4 will improve and maintain about 3,108 kilometers (km) of rural access roads, 248 km of national roads, project management and consulting services financed under tranches 1, 2 and 3.
Shipyard Rehabilitation and Infrastructure Project ADB will fund the capital expenditure and expansion plans for the Colombo repair yard with a total project cost of $13.9 million. The borrower will be Walkers Colombo Shipyard, a subsidiary of Walkers Shipyards Limited, a holding company sponsored by MTD Walkers Plc, a well-established company in Sri Lanka with experience in marine engineering business, EPC for industrial and infrastructure projects and property development. The holding company will undertake marine and ship repair business of the Group.
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Line of Credit Project The proposed project is a line of credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka with an innovative feature of allocating loan proceeds to participating financial institutions (PFIs) via an auction system. The project also includes an attached technical assistance (TA) for export-oriented cluster development to develop Sri Lanka's next generation of SMEs.
Proposed Loan to Hatton National Bank for Supporting Infrastructure Development The project consists of a loan of up to $100 million for onlending to infrastructure projects.
Second Integrated Road Investment Program-Tranche 4 The Second Integrated Road Investment Program, a multitranche financing facility (MFF) for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka approved on 29 September 2017, will improve access to the road network in Sri Lanka's rural areas, supporting rural economic and social development. The investment program, in the amount if $900 million and with an availability period ending in March 2027, will upgrade and maintain about 3,400 kilometers (km) of rural access roads to an all-weather standard; rehabilitate and maintain about 340 km of national roads in Eastern, Northern, Uva, and Western provinces; and improve the capacity of road agencies with respect to road design and construction, research capacity, maintenance, safeguards, and road safety.A periodic financing request for the fourth tranche was received on 20 September 2023. Tranche 4 is aligned with the road map in the FFA to establish 2,500 rural development centers by upgrading or rehabilitating rural access routes, including local authority, provincial, and national roads. The proposed tranche also aligns with the FFA policy framework by (i) adopting a two-tier strategy to provide nationwide connectivity by (a) establishing a trunk road network with expressways and well-connected national roads, and (b) completing a rural road network to connect the rural population to trunk roads efficiently; and (ii) establishing a project implementation framework for the RDA to improve provincial and local authority roads jointly with local road agencies to accelerate completion of the rural road network by supplementing the limited capacity of the local agencies. The proposed tranche also contributes to achieving the objectives of ADB's country partnership strategy (CPS) for Sri Lanka, 20182022, which aims to strengthen the drivers of economic growth and improve the quality of growth.
Transport Project Preparatory Facility The proposed Transport Project Preparatory Facility (the Project) will improve the startup efficiency of priority transport projects in the road, railway, and port subsectors by (i) preparing the feasibility studies, detailed design, and procurement documents, and (ii) providing implementation support during the inception stage of project implementation.
Health System Enhancement Project - Additional Financing Sri Lanka is currently being devastated by a third wave of COVID-19. Since the first local case was reported on 11 March 2020, the government was able to curtail the first wave well, with only 3,380 cases and 13 deaths as of end-September 2020. But with the second wave and the ongoing third wave since April 2021, the number of confirmed cases increased exponentially, and by 27 May 2021, there were a total of 172,277 cases, and the number of active cases in hospitals increased exponentially from 2,500 patients on 7 April 2021 to more than 27,190 on 27 May 2021. Deaths due to COVID-19 also increased at an unprecedented rate from 588 on 7 April 2021 to 1,298 deaths as of 27 May 2021.

As an emergency response to meet this exponentially increasing COVID-19 positive case burden, the government is urgently working to meet gaps of medical equipment, improving the services and facilities available at the hospitals, expanding the access to oxygen therapy, carrying out renovations and refurbishments to accommodating COVID-19 patients in all hospitals, and introducing home care services on a pilot basis. MOH intends to manage asymptomatic patients at home, mildly symptomatic patients at treatment centers (intermediate care centers) and symptomatic positive patients at COVID-19 hospitals.
Southern Transport Development Project (Supplementary Financing) The primary objectives of the Project are to (i) facilitate and act as a catalyst for development in the economically deprived southern region by constructing a new southern highway linking Colombo with Galle, the capital of Southern Province, and Matara; and (ii) produce a sustainable and quantifiable reduction in the country's very high road accident rate. The secondary objective is poverty reduction within the immediate project area, where more than 30% of the population is classified as poor, and within the south of the country generally.