The Union Budget 2022-23 has pledged Rs. 6292.30 crores as total aid to other countries

The Union Budget 2022-23 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday allocated Rs 200 crore as India’s assistance for development projects to Taliban-led Afghanistan.

Union Budget 2022-23 has pledged Rs. 6292.30 crores as total aid to countries.

India’s neighbour, Bhutan has the highest allocation of Rs. 2266.24 crore as aid. Mauritius, that has recently had several New Delhi assisted developmental projects, has the second highest Rs. 900 crore followed by Rs. 750 crore for Nepal.

Myanmar, which has ongoing India supported connectivity projects, has been allotted a Rs. 600 crore. The archipelagic nation Maldives has been allotted with Rs. 360 crore and Bangladesh with whom India completed 50 years of diplomatic relations last year has been allotted Rs. 300 crore.

While the African countries have been assigned Rs. 250 crore in the Union Budget, Afghanistan, which is receiving humanitarian assistance from New Delhi, and economically starved Sri Lanka have been allotted Rs. 200 crore each as aid.

The strategic Chabahar port that acts as a conduit for India’s trade with Central Asia has been allocates Rs. 100 crore.

India’s pledging of Rs. 200 crore aid to war-torn Afghanistan is a significant move considering the regime change in the South Asian nation. Last year in the union budget, India had pledged Rs. 350 crore to the then President, Ashraf Ghani led Afghanistan.

Since the takeover of Afghanistan by Taliban on August 15 last year, New Delhi is yet to have a diplomatic presence in the country.

In recent months, India has sent several consignments of medicine and humanitarian assistance for the beleaguered people of Afghanistan.

On January 29, as part of ongoing humanitarian assistance, India supplied the fourth batch of medical assistance consisting of 3 tons of essential life-saving medicines to Afghanistan. It will also soon be dispatching 50000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.