Why continue aid to India, British lawmakers ask

LONDON: BRITAIN ended traditional aid to India in 2015, but continues to fund projects in some states, prompting ruling Conservative Party MPS to ask: When India can finance a project to the moon, why spend money there when it is badly needed in the UK?

A favourite of the tabloid press, the story made its appearance again in the Daily Express and the Daily Mail, with headlines over the weekend such as “Anger at £98m aid for India” and “We’re sponsoring their Moon launch!”

According to the Department for International Development (DFID), its budget for India in the current year includes £52 million, and another £46 million in 2019-20, to “help stimulate prosperity, generate jobs, develop skills and open up new markets for both countries”.

But the tabloids reported angry quotes from MPS, who see an equivalence between the £98 million to that earmarked by the Indian government for the Chadrayaan-2 project to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon. They also point out India has been a net donor in recent years, not a recipient.

As public services such as health in the UK continue to be hit by funding cuts, David Davies, the Conservative MP for Monmouth, said: “The Indians don’t want or need our money. In effect we are sponsoring an Indian moon launch.”

A DFID spokesperson said: “DFID ended traditional aid to India in 2015. The UK now provides the country with worldleading expertise and private investment which boost prosperity, create jobs and open up markets, while generating a return for the UK at the same time.”

Another Tory MP, Philip Davies (Shipley), said: “Here we are spending money in a country that has not only got its own space programme but is developing its own overseas aid programme.”

British sent aid to India for decades after independence, at times linking it to commercial and defence deals with New Delhi, as reflected in classified documents released by the National Archives, particularly those related to the prime ministership of Margaret Thatcher.

THE UK SPENDS 0.7% OF THEIR NATIONAL INCOME ON INTERNATIONAL AID. DFID HAS NOT BEEN SUBJECTED TO FUNDING CUTS THAT OTHER DEPTS HAVE FACED.