India allocates Rs. 7,148 crore as aid for several countries
India, on Monday, set aside over Rs. 7,100 crore in its Union Budget for 2021-22 as development assistance for several countries, with Bhutan getting the maximum allocation of Rs. 3,004 crore while Rs. 100 crore will be given to the Chabahar Port project in Iran. As per the revised estimates, India's development assistance in 2020-21 was Rs. 5,369 crore.
Major part of the aid constitutes COVID-19 assistance
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated Rs. 18,154 crore to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the highest for the ministry to date. Of this, Rs. 7,148 crore has been earmarked as aid to countries. Notably, a significant share of the aid will cater to India's sustained COVID-19 assistance, including the supply of coronavirus vaccines under the Vaccine Maitri initiative.
Aid amount allocated to neighboring countries
According to the budget, Bhutan will get a total of Rs. 3,004 crore, Nepal Rs. 992 crore and Afghanistan Rs. 350 crore. Myanmar will receive Rs. 400 crore. Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will get Rs. 200 crore each, while an amount of Rs. 250 crore has been set aside for the Maldives, Rs. 900 crore for Mauritius, and Rs. 160 crore for Seychelles.
Development assistance to other nations around the world
An amount of Rs. 300 crore has been allocated for African countries, Rs. 100 crore for Eurasian countries and an outlay of Rs. 40 crore was marked for Latin American nations. Separately, Rs. 130 crore have been allocated for assistance to other developing countries. In the budget, Rs. 100 crore were allocated for the development of the Chabahar Port, same as in 2020-21.
Chabahar Port is a joint venture to boost trade ties
Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar Port is being developed by India, Iran, and Afghanistan to boost trade ties. India on Sunday handed over two 140-tonne mobile harbor cranes to the Chabahar Port authorities in Iran.
Enhanced allocation for initiatives related to UN, other international organizations
Additionally, an amount of Rs. 476 crore has been set aside for support to international training/programs. An enhanced allocation has also been made for initiatives related to the United Nations and other international organizations as compared to earlier years. The total allocation of Rs. 18,154 crore to MEA is 21 percent higher than the revised estimate of Rs. 15,000 crore in 2020-21.
