India and the World Bank have signed an agreement worth $130 million to improve the livelihoods for over 3 lakh village households in the North Eastern region of the country. The agreement was signed between the multilateral financial institution and the government in New Delhi today.

The money will be used to finance the Centre’s efforts to empower rural communities in the growth-deficient North East region under the North East Rural Livelihoods Project, NERLP. The project is being implemented in the eight districts of the four participating states of the Northeast which include Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

According to an official release, NERLP seeks to develop an institutional platform for the communities, which will help them link up with the private sector, public sector, and civil society and to acquire the institutional, technical, and financial capacity needed for improving their livelihoods.

Women, unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged groups are the main focus under the project.

It comprises four main components including Social Empowerment, Economic Empowerment, Partnership Development and Project Management.