The World Bank on Friday approved two projects totaling USD 135 million to help Pakistan strengthen its social safety nets and eradicate polio.
The Bank noted that the increases in global food and fuel prices and Pakistan's ongoing energy crisis have raised the vulnerability of the country's poor to an unprecedented level.
It said the USD 60 million Pakistan Social Safety Net Technical Assistance Project will enhance the operation and management of a nationwide, effective and transparent safety net system for the poor in Pakistan to cushion the negative effects of the food and economic crisis.
"The Government of Pakistan is committed to developing a modern social safety net system," said Yusupha Crookes, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. "This project will assist Pakistan in establishing an effective social safety net system that provides poor people with basic income support."
Simultaneously, the World Bank also approved USD 74.68 million to support the Pakistan government's efforts to eradicate polio.
Although Pakistan has made progress in its efforts to eradicate polio since 1997, with the number of confirmed Polio cases decreasing substantially from around 1,147 in 1997 to 32 in 2007, in 2008 there was an increase in virus transmission with 117 cases reported, spread across all four provinces.