The World Bank (WB) has expressed its interest to disburse additional 700 million US dollar in the form of both grant and soft loan to Bangladesh for forcefully displaced Rohingyas and the host community in Chattogram.
"The World Bank has showed interest to provide fresh 700 million US dollars for Rohingyas and host community," Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud told reporters after holding a meeting with WB's country director Abdoulaye Seck at the foreign ministry in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.
Of the 700 million US dollar, he said, 315 million would be disbursed as grant for the Rohingyas and 385 million for the host community of the Chattogram division under soft loan scheme.
He said the fund under the soft loan would be used for elevating livelihood of inhabitants of the Chattogram division through developing infrastructure facilities and improving healthcare services.
During the meeting, the minister said they discussed to further strengthen the development cooperation between Bangladesh and the World Bank in the day to come.
"He (WB country director) showed his keen interest to strengthen and widen World Bank engagement with us (Bangladesh)," said the foreign minister. Currently World bank has been running its 15 billion US dollars fund in 56 ongoing projects in Bangladesh.
