The World Bank and the government of India have taken measures to tighten monitoring of Bank-aided health projects in the country, after a review launched in 2006 found serious incidents of fraud and corruption.
The review has identified certain vulnerabilities, leading to tighter overseeing of the entire Bank-supported health portfolio, the World Bank said in a release, Monday.
The Bank’s governance and anti-corruption work from now on will be placed under the scrutiny of independent and external reviewers to ensure that the institution is making tangible progress in its fight against corruption.
The Bank on its part is redesigning projects and trying to set up new standards in supervision and evaluation to remove any systematic flaws.
World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who visited New Delhi for talks with top officials Friday, said the Bank would invite external auditors to help fight corruption in the future.
India also warned it would take speedy action.
Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said four teams of people from the finance and health ministries would be set up to probe the irregularities and action would be taken against those found guilty.
The government has already decided that procurement for Bank-funded health projects should be done through the UN Organizations of Procurement, Dayal said-
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
