Karnataka has received $141.83 million from the World Bank for the State Health Systems Development and Reform Project. The programme focuses on maternal and child health and on communicable diseases. The objective is to contribute to the achievements of the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through expansion and coverage of essential health services in the rural and under-served areas.

Over the last decade, Karnataka has been one of the fastest growing states in India, and the increase in per capita income has led to better standards of living and improvements in priority health outcomes. However, disparities in health outcomes across different socio-economic groups and geographical areas have not been addressed adequately, stated World Bank officials.

Therefore this year most of the activities planned under the project target the socially and demographically vulnerable areas on a priority basis. The credit will also support innovations in service delivery and health financing to ensure better quality and expanded coverage. The credits from the International Development Association, the World Bank concessionary lending arm carries a 0.75 service fee along with a 10-year grace period and a maturity of 35 years. The amount was sanctioned after the Union government and the World Bank signed a $672 million package to India's health sector. It is to improve the reproductive health services, reduce mortality and morbidity die to tuberculosis and increase the utilization of essential health services in Karnataka.

The agreements were signed by Madhusudan Prasad, joint secretary department of Economic Affairs, Usha Ganesh, principal secretary, Karnataka Health and family welfare, Rachid Benmessaoud, acting regional vice president, South Asia, World Bank.

The other two projects are the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) II Project valued at $360, Second National Tuberculosis Control Project o $170 million under the Union government's health and family welfare programmes.

The RCH II Project is targeted to improve the health of poor women and children in the rural and tribal areas and urban slums. The project aims to accelerate the India's progress towards maternal and child health goals outlined in its national policies and the Millennium Development Goals. Despite the progress made in improving the healthcare delivery, India still has high levels of maternal and child mortality. About 136,000 women and 2.4 million children, which constitute about a fifth of the world's population total die due to preventive causes.

The project is part of the government's multi billion dollar RCHII programme launched last year and supported by several other donor partners. Among them the Department of International Development of United Kingdom and the United Nations Population Fund will be pooling resources with the World Bank to encourage deeper cooperation among these engaged in the sector ad avoid duplication.

The Second National Tuberculosis Control Programme aims to achieve the global targets of 70 per cent case detection and 85 percent cure rate ad for the zones where Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) has been under implementation for five or more years to decrease the incidence of smear-positive Tuberculosis.

In India, Communicable diseases account for nearly half of the country's disease burden, of which tuberculosis is among the most widespread cause of morbidity, disability and mortality.

About 40 per cent of the population is infected by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis causing more than 1.8 million new cases and 400,000 deaths every year. Of the new cases, nearly 800,000 cases are infectious and each of these affects on an average 10 people.