ANGER AT £98M AID FOR INDIA
Handout is close to what they spend on space mission
ANGER erupted last night over Britain’s promise to hand £98million to India – a country now distributing more foreign aid than it receives.
The Department for International Development said the UK will transfer £52million this year and £46million in 2019/20 as part of a controversial aid budget which now costs £13.4billion a year.
Despite 230 million people living in abject poverty, India is now rich enough to be able to afford to splurge £95.4million on a lunar probe called Chandrayaan-2, which is expected to launch later this year.
The spending scandal follows a catalogue of commitments that have sparked fury among voters at a time public services across Britain have been cut to the bone. David Davies, Tory
MP for Monmouth, said: “The Indians don’t want or need our money. In effect we are sponsoring an Indian Moon launch.” Despite millions suffering from disease and limited access to proper healthcare and education, India is a net donor of foreign aid, providing more assistance than it receives.
In 2015/16 it gave away £912million in aid but received £254million from overseas countries and global banks.
The former British colony is desperate to make itself a serious player on the world stage and demonstrate it is an emerging global superpower with scientific expertise to match.
Chandrayaan-2 aims to demonstrate its growing technical abilities by landing a sixwheeled rover on the surface of the Moon – a mission seen by many as a direct challenge to China’s space ambitions.
But furious MPs have questioned why taxpayers’ cash is being funnelled to a fully-functioning democracy developing a growing aid programme of its own and pumping money into neighbours such as Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Although there is no suggestion British taxpayers’ money will be used to fund the lunar probe, MPs have received stinging criticism in their constituencies for the way so much cash leaves the UK at a time front-line services like the NHS are crying out for more.
Dfid claims the money is an investment that will generate a return.
But critics say if that is true there is no need for the department to be involved as there are plenty of successful Indian business chiefs who can invest in profitable schemes.
Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire, 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.
“To be honest, the Government needs looking at if its thinks that is an appropriate way of spending taxpayers’ money.
“It needs to get out of Whitehall and appreciate the public is not just sick and tired of this but angry too. It is completely unjustifiable and truly idiotic.”
Andrew Bridgen, Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, said: “It’s difficult to explain to the taxpayer that we are sending aid to a country that can afford its own space programme. It’s a difficult sell in North-west Leicestershire or any constituency when the money involved is comparable.”
The Daily Express has revealed how the Government’s target of spending at least 0.7 per cent of national income overseas has led to huge rifts. Our Stop The Foreign Aid Madness crusade saw us hand over a petition on behalf of more than 100,000 readers demanding the Government addresses the spending scandal.
Earlier this year we took our campaign to Downing Street to urge the Prime Minister to end the policy, arguing that setting a legally-binding spending target was preposterous at a time when the NHS was suffering a financial crisis.
John O’Connell, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, commented: “Taxpayers will not see a jot of difference between so-called ‘investment’ or ‘aid’ spending.”
Dfid said “traditional financial aid” to India had ended and it now worked in partnership with other departments to deliver joint economic development priorities.
However, it confirmed the £98million it planned to send to India was taxpayers’ money that would “help stimulate prosperity, generate jobs, develop skills and open up new markets for both countries”.