World Bank chief meets Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow, Mar 12 : World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here and discussed several projects in the state.
"We are very committed to Uttar Pradesh. We are starting with specific projects. We will look forward to expanding in other areas," Kim said while addressing a press conference here after the meeting.
"We are very optimistic that we can accomplish great things in UP," he said.
He said the World Bank aims to end poverty and it could not be accomplished without achieving success in Uttar Pradesh.
"In this generation, we think that we can end the poverty," Kim said.
"In other words, we are very focussed on economic growth which brings jobs. We know that in the developing countries 90 per cent jobs are created in the private sector, so we need the growth in this sector," Kim said.
"When we talk about sheer prosperity we need that the growth in the economy has to be shared with the young people, with women and even with future generation," he said.
This is Kim's first visit to India after taking over as President of the World Bank Group last July.
He started his three-day visit to India on Monday and met Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi.
He is visiting Lucknow and Kanpur cities in Uttar Pradesh to see development challenges in the north Indian state, which is home to the largest number of India's poor.