HC Deb 10 November 1999 vol 337 c554W
Mr. Sarwar

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid programmes her Department is supporting in India in the current financial year; at what cost; and what was the comparable figure for 1998–99. [97583]

Clare Short

Our programme in India is increasingly focused on working with the states of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal towards the goal of poverty elimination. The bilateral programme includes activities in rural development, water and sanitation, urban poverty, education, health, governance and empowerment, energy and emergency humanitarian assistance as well as assistance through non-governmental organisations. We also help indirectly through contributions to the European Commission and other multilateral organisations.

DFID spending for India in the current financial year is expected to be in the region of £100 million. The provisional figure for the 1998–99 out-turn for our India programme is £83.9 million, although this does not capture all DFID spending for India. The final figure for all DFID spending for India during the last financial year will be published in our next Departmental Report.