While one of the projects will work for expanding the provision of safe, rural drinking water through the promotion of piped water supply, the other one will provide universal primary education for all children by 2015.

The rural piped water supply project will support the government's evolving water supply programme and will promote the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders, including the private sector and NGOs in piped water supply, the press release continued.

"This project will help the government increase coverage and quality of water supply, in particular to the poorer populations, which is essential to increased health and productivity in the country,"said Karin Kemper, the World Bank's senior water resources management specialist.

Karin, also the task leader for the project, said the project will provide the rural population with a convenient as well as safe water supply procedure.

The total cost of the rural piped water supply project is US$ 55 million. The World Bank's International Development Association, as a free grant will provide US$40 million. The remainder will be provided through government, private sector and community contributions.

The other project, entitled 'Reaching Out-of-School Children', with the help of US$51 million grant will work to increase access to schooling for thousands of disadvantaged children and improve the quality and efficiency of non-formal schools, called Learning Centers, said the press release.

It will enroll half a million out-of-school children in the Learning Centres to be managed by communities with support from non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Learning Centres usually provide three years of primary education, after which many students move on to government-approved primary schools. About 8-10 percent of students, or about 1.7 million, attend non-formal schools in Bangladesh.

About three million children from 6-10 years old are not in school, says the press release adding, the approved fund will help Bangladesh move closer to its goal of providing universal primary education for all children by 2015, said the press release.