The Consultation Mission will review the progress on ADB’s technical assistance and allow international consultants to visit project area for better visualization about Loktak Lake ecosystem besides collecting remaining data and organize consultations with stakeholders. ADB mission after due consultation in New Delhi will arrive Imphal on December 9.
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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Consultation Mission for India, particularly Manipur begins from Wednesday (December 7, 2022). The mission’s primary agenda includes Sustainable Loktak Lake Ecosystem Restoration, Eco tourism and Livelihood Improvement Project (previously, Loktak Lake Eco-tourism Project). The ADB mission’s scheduled visit in Manipur and programme will begin from December 9 and end on December 16, 2022.
According to a reliable source, the mission’s primary purpose is to review the previous mission’s action plan and progress on strategic plan that includes investment road map, deployment of national experts on behalf of Government of Manipur, preparation of concept paper etc.
After the introduction of ADBs staff consultants to the authorities who will support in strategic plan and investment roadmap preparation, the mission team will discuss with the authorities on “what needs to be achieved before a fact-finding mission”, informed the source.
The ADB mission is scheduled to meet with relevant organizations of the Government of Manipur including: “Department of Tourism, Planning Department, Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Loktak Development Authority, Watershed and Soil Conservation Department, Water Resources Department, Agriculture and Horticulture Departments, Manipur Remote Sensing and Space Application Center (MARSAC) and other relevant stakeholders”.
The ADB mission will also introduce newly inducted ADB staff and the consultants for technical assistance while reviewing “the progress on priority actions listed in aide memoire of previous mission in June 2022”.
The mission will meet with partners such as UNESCO, e.g. on prospects and requirements for designating lake Loktak as a biosphere reserve as per the recent in-principle approval granted by state cabinet, informed the source. It will review the progress on ADB’s technical assistance and allow international consultants to visit project area for better visualization about Loktak Lake ecosystem besides collecting remaining data and organize consultations with stakeholders. The mission will discuss with the government of Manipur the PPR submitted to DEA for approval and agree on the scope of the subsequent PRF.
The ADB mission will present an overview of the strategic plan and investment road map for eco-restoration and receive feedback from government to inform the drafting.
- “Meet with development partners working in Manipur State (e.g., NDB, ADF, IFAD, JICA, GIZ, KfW, AIIB, and World Bank etc.) to learn from their experience and bring synergies.
- Ensure receiving key stakeholders views on the project concept and possible lessons learned, challenges and mitigation options.
- Prepare the Aide Memoire summarizing the mission’s findings, recommendations, and timebound action plan for the next 6 months.
- Review and agree with the Government of Manipur /EA on what needs to be achieved before the fact-finding mission for PRF based on the mission’s findings.
- Debrief the concerned staff of the Manipur State. C. Mission Composition: Ms. Mio Oka, Director, South Asia Department, Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Division (SAER) · Andrew Brubaker, Principal Rural Development Specialist/ Mission Leader, SAER · Vikas Goyal, Water Resources Specialist/Co-Mission Leader, INRM · Alexia Michels, Senior Water Resources Specialist, SAER · Orna Joyce, Social Development Specialist, SAER* · Cynthia Ceniza, Associate Project Analyst, SAER* · Dr. Christoph Zöckler, Consultant (ADB) · Dr. Ajit Kumar Pattnaik, Consultant (ADB) · Mr. M K Mohanty, Social Development Consultant (ADB) · Peter Campbell, Consultant (ADB) · Siddhartha Purkayastha, Consultant (ADB) · Abhinav Gupta, Abhinav Gupta, Consultant (ADB)”.
As per the reliable source, the tentative agenda the ADB mission after due consultation in New Delhi will arrive Imphal on December 9 for working level consultations with ADB and designated state consultants and Manipur Government Staff to collect data and generate GIS maps, etc. For the following two days, ADB and Government of Manipur representatives will embark on site visits. Thereafter, on December 12, there will be a meeting to review progress on “agreed actions from previous mission”, presentation by Government of Manipur officials to ADB. On the same day there will be consultation with Nodal Department nominated and a courtesy meeting with Manipur Chief Secretary.
On December 13, Sub-teams created for: “Water/Hydrology and WSS-WQ-SWM; Agriculture/Horticulture, Fisheries, Social Development, Gender; Eco-tourism/Protected Area/Institutional; will start departmental visits, consultations with departmental officials and stakeholders, site visits to be coordinated with each of the contributing departments. On December 14, Sub-teams of Water/Hydrology and WSS-WQ-SWM; Agriculture/Horticulture, Fisheries, Social Development, Gender; and Eco-tourism/Protected Area/Institutional;” will continue departmental visits, consultations with departmental officials and stakeholders, site visits to be coordinated with each of the contributing departments.
On December 15, there will be a meeting of Sub-teams with Manipur government counterpart for “· Observations on field visits · Gap data requirement for Strategic Plan and Investment Roadmap Report · Data collection needs ADB and Government of Manipur · Agreement on Government of Manipur counterpart staff deployment to provide inputs in the Strategic Plan and Investment Roadmap Report and timelines to provide comments on the Draft Technical Assistance Report”, informed the source.
On December 16, there will be presentation of the strategic eco-restoration plan and investment roadmap and wrap-up the meeting with the Chief Secretary of Manipur. The ADB mission team will return to New Delhi and Manila on December 17. On December 19, there will be TBC Mission de-briefing with Country Director (CD) and DCD, INRM colleagues virtually.