§ 10. Linda PerhamTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her development priorities for India. [6122]
§ Clare ShortThe UK was providing £60 million in aid to India in 1997. This figure is projected to increase to over £300 million by 2003–04 in acknowledgement of the fact that one third of the poor of the world live in India.
Our programme in India is aimed at helping government, at both national and state level, to deliver pro-poor policies and services. We are working closely with four partner states committed to poverty reduction, including on their programmes of fiscal and public sector 296W reform. We are also working on increasing access to basic health, education, and water and sanitation services for the poor, on promoting better management of the natural and physical environment, and on promoting greater empowerment of the poor, especially women and the marginalized.
§ 18. Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work her Department is undertaking in respect of the aftermath of the Gujarat earthquake. [6130]
§ Clare ShortIn the immediate aftermath of the earthquake my Department's priority was to ensure that survivors received humanitarian assistance until normal services could be restored. Subsequently the Indian Government have developed plans for rehabilitation and reconstruction, largely funded by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The UK makes contributions to both of these institutions. We have also offered assistance to the Indian Government to strengthen disaster preparedness arrangements across the country.