§ 19. Dan NorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her Department's support for poverty reduction in India. [147657]
§ Clare ShortWe are providing over £100 million in development assistance to India this year. This figure is projected at least to triple over the next four years. One in three of the world's poor lives in India, and there are substantial opportunities to work effectively with government and civil society to reduce poverty.
Our programme in India is focused on helping government, at both national and state level, to deliver pro-poor policies and services. We have identified four partner states committed to poverty reduction, with whom we are working closely, including on their programmes of fiscal and public sector reform. We are also working, both at the national level and in our partner states, on increasing access to basic education, health, water and sanitation services for the poor, promoting better management of the natural and physical environment, and promoting greater empowerment of the poor, especially women and members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
In addition to long term development assistance, we remain ready to respond quickly and generously to requests for emergency relief as we have done in the case of the recent catastrophic earthquake in Gujarat.
A copy of our India Country Strategy Paper is in the Library of the House.