ANKARA - State Minister Besir Atalay received on Friday World Bank Vice President Johannes Linn.
Following the meeting, Atalay said that 133 million U.S. dollars of micro project loan from World Bank would be used to increase production and employment till 2006 and stated that 133 million U.S. dollars of loan also included other sub-groups, but if there was demand, loan would be used especially for micro projects.
Stressing that World Bank was interested in social aid policies, Atalay recalled that project on decrease of social risk was accepted in Turkey in 2001.
Atalay quoted Linn as asking how this project was being carried out and stated that project on decrease of social risk had a 635 million U.S. dollars of budget with contribution of the Turkish government. He added that this project aimed to ensure the government's social aid policies' being carried out more properly.
Stating that another issue which he took up with World Bank delegation was that there was not any law regarding Social Assistance and Solidarity Fund Secretariat General, Atalay said that World Bank considered that this institution should have an official status.
Atalay said that he told World Bank delegation that legal studies on this issue were at the final stage.
Noting that 100 million U.S. dollars of the loan which World Bank granted for the project on decrease of social risk was used as ''rapid aid'' in 2001, he said that budget which was allocated for institutional development was about 35 million U.S. dollars.
Atalay said that 110 million U.S. dollars of the loan would be ready to be used as of 2003.
He said that a conference would be held with the participation of nongovernmental organizations and academicians to exchange view on how the project would progress on June 3 and 4.
Atalay added that their real aim was to increase employment and production from now on.
(EÖ-AY) 30.05.2003