GUWAHATI: The first State review of the ongoing externally-aided projects in Assam took place today at the NEDFi House in Guwahati. The discussion was attended by Additional Chief Secretary PP Varma, Government of Assam, Principal Secretary of the Finance Department HS Das, Asian Development Bank (ADB) country director Hun Kim, Puneet Agarwal, ADB director, Government of India, besides a host of senior officials from the State Government, Government of India, ADB, IFAD, World Bank, IFC and CAAA. During the review meeting, a strong request was made by the Assam Government to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India and the ADB for considering another loan for the power sector (to strengthen the distribution network) as well as for tourism and urban development sectors to include other towns like Silchar, Tezpur, Tinsukia and Dhubri. Guwahati and Dibrugarh are covered under the Assam Urban Infrastructure Investment. Extensive review was undertaken on the following nine projects – the Assam Governance and Public Resource Management Project, the Assam Power Sector Enhancement Projects-1,2,3, the Assam Integrated Flood and River Bank Erosion Risk Management Project 1, the North Eastern State Roads Investment Programme-Project 1, the Rural Roads Sector-II Projects 3 and 4 , the Assam Urban Infrastructure Investment-Project 1, the Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project, the Assam State Roads Project and the NE Region Community Resources Management Projects for Upland Areas –II. Detail presentations were given on these projects by the concerned project directors. Fruitful deliberations were made on identifying the factors responsible for delay in some of the projects and suggesting measures for their proper implementation. A presentation was also given by IFC on improving investment climate in the State and the Northeastern region. The meeting provided a good platform for highlighting the various issues pertaining to these projects. On Sunday, the team of officials from DEA and ADB visited the project sites of ongoing and completed ADB assisted projects in Guwahati.