New Delhi: The Union Budget 2026-27 has increased Indian development aid allocations for several neighbouring nations like Afghanistan, Mongolia and Nepal, but allocations to Bangladesh have been slashed by Rs 60 crore.
India has increased financial support for Bhutan to Rs 2,288.56 crore, while for Afghanistan, the sum has been increased from Rs 100 crore to Rs 150 crore, indicating that more Indian projects are in the pipeline for the country.
India has allocated Rs 800 crore to Nepal, up by Rs 100 crore, while an amount of Rs 400 crore has been announced for Sri Lanka, up from Rs 300 crore in the last budget. In the latest budget, India has increased financial support for Mongolia by Rs 20 crore from Rs 5 crore to Rs 25 crore.
India has reduced the support for Bangladesh from Rs 120 crore to Rs 60 crore, while financial support to the Maldives has been reduced from Rs 600 crore to Rs 550 crore. India has also reduced financial support for Myanmar from Rs 350 crore to Rs 300 crore.
India has reduced financial support for Eurasian countries to Rs 38 crore, while the financial support for Latin American nations has been increased to Rs 120 crore.
In the latest Union budget, the Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) overall budget has been increased from Rs 20,516.62 to Rs 22,118.97 crore.
Presenting the Budget in the parliament on Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared three ‘Kartavyas’ (duties) to not only accelerate the economy but also empower the poor, underprivileged, and the disadvantaged.
Sitharaman said that to deliver on the government’s ‘sankalp’ (resolve) and given that this is the first budget prepared in Kartavya Bhavan, “we are inspired by three Kartavyas”.
(IANS)
