The sudden call from Vikram on 5th October morning was rather surprise. But, without asking many questions, I decided to join him on 6th morning at Guwahati. My underlying ambition to work for the bank was definitely the principal reason. Then marathon meetings until 9-00PM and then visit to the Kamrup metro district office on 7th morning- I spent around 30 hours with them, except the sleeping time with Rupak, where I mostly dreamt the WB guys only.
 |
| At the Kamrup Metro e-District centre |
Although the concrete output was zero, I analyzed and understood many facts. I know more possess the extreme desire to work for the bank now. Here are some thoughts I penned down on 7th October evening , sitting at IITG:
- World Bank is just like another bank with US
playing the role of father with maximum contribution and also attaching some
rules with the US congress which even Obama can’t change. The annual profits
are shared among the stakeholders.
- As a bank they have to search customers and
their customers are all public sector entities.
- Why should country take loan from World Bank-
low interest rate, long repayment period, having World Bank portfolio is deemed
as the country has transparency etc so credit agencies give more rating, possibility
for getting grant, which is a small portion of the bank.
- How Country decides whether and how much to take
loan- for India, it is decided by DEA. Hence every proposal should be made to
DEA. See this…very interesting - http://aaad.gov.in/
- The marketing of the World Bank goes—Vikram will
come and talk with different departments and ask them to apply for loan to DEA.
On paper, it will be shown the department is applying to DEA for World Bank
loan.
- Ideally, there has to be state share (these days
it is 30%). Usually, this 30% is indirectly/secretly adjusted with the 70% of
the bank, so that the state needs not to spend any money. There is need to
study how this ‘adjustment’ is causing inefficiency compared to central
government’s direct funding.
- The bank feels comfortable to deal with same
implementing agency in the name of strict procurement policy etc. The
relationship has every possibility of going fishy.
- The way the initialization the project happens
(point 5 above), even if the money is huge (say here $49 million), the
politician and the citizens didn’t have single clue. Everything is managed by
the bureaucrats and the officers of the departments.
- From the
conversation (say between Vikram and Naimur), it is evident, why the World
Bank, UNDP jobs kept circulating among a group of people. As nobody knows much
(point 8 above), the recruitment usually confined to a small group except the
ones where they need expert people. For this project, Naimur and Shalini are
there for years, but they are still not sure who would be the implementing
agency for the project. Fuck !
- The increase of China’s investment in Africa is
directly related to the contracts China owned in the minerals of African
countries. US, via World Bank, used to do the same thing years back.
- I got to meet many powerful bureaucrats and got introduced by Vikram with high-flying words. I realized to control the self obsessed IAS officers and
their fishy counterparts like the World Bank ones, Politician is the only profession
I should target. I feel like going to Jyotirmoy Sharma now and ask for more
involvement. Hmm, I don’t know. What should I do, God?
- Summery- I feel like I am not at all interested for a World Bank
job now. The experience would be just same as Microsoft type probably.
No comments:
Post a Comment