Bangladesh has become the third largest recipient of the World Bank's (WB) soft loan after India and Vietnam as the country received 600 million US dollars credit in fiscal 2004-2005.

The WB in a report published here Sunday said its support for Bangladesh is focused on the health and education sectors, forging innovative partnership with non-governmental organizations which target expanded access to social services.

The projects supported by the bank continue to highlight the importance of improved governance, with a focus on public procurement and financial management, infrastructure for energy, and the financial sector.

Human development also received a significant share with bank support going to national programs most relevant to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Bangladesh, where over 63 million people live in poverty, is on track to achieve many of the MDGs, including universal primary enrollment in schools and gender equality in education at both primary and secondary levels.

Source: Xinhua