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Journalism of Courage
The phrase Indian Agency for Partnership in Development seems precisely the kind of fluffy non-job that serves as a parking lot for piles of cash,armies of babus,and little to show for it. The agency was the Ministry of External Affairs brainwave,aiming to be a permanent setup overseeing the distribution of Indian funds and development programmes in foreign climes; it was reportedly modelled after the US governments USAID agency and the United Kingdoms DFID,organisations that play a pivotal soft-power role. But the idea ran into rough weather: the Department of Personnel and Training dissed it as a white elephant. It is an indictment of our diplomats persuasiveness that the PMO seems to have endorsed the DoPTs view and abandoned the idea. Regardless,this shines the spotlight on a major consequence of Indias rise.
Indias growing international stature has led to a manifold increase in our funding to foreign countries. Between 2008 and 2013,India has committed Rs 3,400 crore to Bhutan. We have also given 1.3 billion to Afghanistan,and announced a 1 billion credit line to Bangladesh. Given the increased stakes,not to mention a growing Chinese footprint in Indias neighbourhood and beyond,we need an agency to channel funds with the ability to build contacts,expertise and institutional memory. So on principle alone,the idea of a separate Indian aid agency makes sense.
