Contact:
In New Delhi:
Sudip Mozumder 98100-52117
smozumder@worldbank.org
Hyderabad, August 17, 2005 - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz arrived in India this evening for his first official visit to the country as president of the global development institution. He will spend a day meeting women and community groups in rural areas outside Hyderabad before reaching New Delhi for discussions with the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and other officials, including a courtesy call on the President. Wolfowitz said on arrival: "India is rapidly emerging as a country of global importance and we are seeing its footprint across the world now in new and exciting ways. I am here to learn from your model of development and reform in a democratic environment." He noted that for all its increasing excellence in information technology, industry and commerce, India remains home to more than a quarter of the world's poor people. "I am looking forward to discussions with the Government about ways in which the World Bank can best support India's efforts to attain its development goals," said Wolfowitz. "The majority of Indians still live in rural areas and I know this Government has, quite rightly, made rural infrastructure a priority. The World Bank is determined to be of help as you scale up this effort to reach the millions of people needing better access to services in rural areas." Wolfowitz said he was looking forward to meeting the real practitioners of development among the women of Andhra Pradesh who had taken small opportunities and turned them into dramatic improvements for themselves and their families. "I've heard about improvements in girls' education and rural livelihoods and I can't wait to meet some of these people doing the real business of development and making a real difference in the quality of their daily lives," he said. For more information on the World Bank's activities in India, visit: http://www.worldbank.org.in
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