The World Bank has approved a loan of $ 100 million for poverty reduction programme in Andhra Pradesh that has lead to an increase in incomes of around 10 million women since its inception in 2003.

The bank said that it was the second additional financing for this project and would help scale up the impressive achievements.

The loan is being offered by International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessionary lending arm. It carries a maturity of 35 years and a 10 year grace period.

The aim of this project is the same as the original project approved by World Bank in 2003.

The project is aimed at helping the poor to improve their livelihoods and qualities of lives.

World Bank Country Director for India Robert Zagha pointed out that the programme has had tremendous impact on the lives of rural poor in Andhra Pradesh.

He said, "We have seen incomes increase for close to 90 per cent of poor rural households. This additional financing will help improve efficiency and effectiveness of the programme by adopting new technologies and innovative service delivery models for achieving full inclusion of the poor households."

The project has mobilized some 10 million poor women, or 90 percent of the poor in the project districts, into nearly 850,000 Self Help Groups.

The self managed institutions of the poor have total savings of $805 million,and leveraged commercial bank linkages of $4.3 billion. This means that every $1 invested by the project has leveraged $12 from the commercial banks.

India is to receive $14 billion by World Bank for recapitalizing public sector banks, speeding up infrastructure programs and fighting against poverty.