4 Wednesday 10th August, 2011 The Island Home News India emerges as a major global donor with its $7 bn given during 2004-10 BY S. VENKAT NARAYAN then. During this time, India dispensed grants and preferential bilateral loans India, as a donor, is giving aid to He went on: “Today, the proverbial Our Special Correspondent its dependence on aid, and preferred to to governments, contributions to inter- Africa also. Its assistance for the shoe is on the other foot. India has borrow from multilateral lenders and, national organisations and financial African continent has grown at a rate of begun putting its money where its NEW DELHI, August 9: India increasingly, from commercial banks. institutions, and subsidies for preferen- 22 per cent annually over the past 10 mouth used to be. It has now emerged as gave US$ 7 billion to needy and friend- Seven years ago, India declared that tial bilateral loans provided through the years. Bilateral trade between India a significant donor to developing coun- ly countries during 2004-10 and has it will only accept development assis- Export Import Bank of India. Today, the and Africa has experienced a 15-fold tries in Africa and Asia, second only to repositioned itself as an emerging tance from five countries (Germany, Indian foreign aid is less than 0.3 per increase just in just one decade since China in the range and quantity of power and a major global donor, Japan, Russia, Britain and the United cent of GDP. Having the world’s second 2001. While the bilateral Indo-Africa development assistance given by coun- according to a study of its assistance States) in addition to the European largest labour force of 478 million, trade soared to $ 46billion in 2010, it is tries of the global South. In addition, to a few such nations. Union. India had declined international India’s economy today is the 10th expected to reach $ 70billion by 2015. India has built factories, hospitals, and AidData, a distinguished online assistance after both the 2004 Tsunami largest on the planet in terms of nomi- India is now Africa’s second major trad- parliaments in various countries, and portal established by the US-based and the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. nal GDP, and the fourth largest by ing partner after China, with invest- sent doctors, teachers, and IT profes- Brigham Young University, the College India has been helping needy Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).” ments in oil, pharmaceuticals, gold, dia- sionals to treat and train the nationals of William and Mary and the nations by making modest donations Data from the International monds and information technology. of recipient countries.” Development Gateway (sponsored by since 1958. It was 53 years ago that Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Indian Telecom giant Bharti Airtel Concessional loans at trifling inter- World Bank and 21 world govern- India had dished out its first donation show that India’s per capita GDP (PPP) had spent $ 10 billion in 2010 to take est rates are also extended as lines of ments), has made a study of aid India of INR 200 million as multi-year grants is $3,339 billion, its exports amount to $ over mobile phone operations across credit, tied mainly to the purchase of has provided to nine countries, name- to Myanmar and INR 100 million under 201 billion and imports at $ 327 billion; Africa from a Kuwaiti firm. To cite Indian goods and services, and coun- ly: Ghana, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, the same head to Nepal. its gross external debt is $ 237.1 billion, another example, India has recently tries in Africa have been clamouring for Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, In a study on India’s transition to a total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is signed a deal with 19 education institu- them. ”In Asia, India remains by far the Sudan and Bhutan. However, India pro- global donor, recently published by the $ 35.6 billion, revenues total $ 170.7 bil- tions in Africa and plans to build a dia- single-largest donor to its neighbour vides assistance to many more nations Spain-based Elcano Royal Institute of lion, expenses are $ 257.4 billion and its mond processing facility in Botswana. Bhutan, as well as a generous aid donor across the globe. International and Strategic Studies. foreign exchange reserves today stand Last May, Prime Minister Singh was to Nepal, the Maldives, Bangladesh, and For decades after independence in Indian economist Dweep Chanana at an impressive $ 319 billion. at Africa-India Forum Summit in Addis Sri Lanka as it recovers from civil war,” 1947, when Britain left the Indian sub- wrote: “India has expanded its aid pro- During a visit to Afghanistan in May Ababa (Ethiopia), where he had pledged Tharoor added. continent one of the poorest and most gramme over the past decade, emerging this year, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan a $ 5 billion credit to the African nations Given Afghanistan’s vital impor- ravaged regions on earth with an effec- as a serious donor in certain countries. Singh had announced an additional $500 to help them meet development goals. tance for the security of the subconti- tive growth rate of zero per cent over Like most emerging donors, India’s aid- million aid package. This was in addi- Shashi Tharoor, a Lok Sabha mem- nent, India’s assistance programme the preceding two centuries, India was related activities do not follow the tradi- tion to the $1.5 billion India has already ber and former Indian minister of state there already amounts to $2 billion—- seen as an impoverished land of desti- tional definition of the Development spent in that war-torn mountainous for external affairs and United Nations modest from the standpoint of Afghan tute people, desperately in need of Assistance Committee. Rather, an alter- country to help build highways, hospi- under-secretary general, wrote recently: needs, but large for a non-traditional international handouts. native definition can be considered: tals and electricity networks. India is “The India-Africa summit in Addis donor—-and is set to rise further. With the liberalisation of the Indian spending that furthers India’s standing now the fifth largest donor to Ababa drew attention to a largely over- India’s efforts in Afghanistan have economy in 1991, the country embarked as a donor. “ Afghanistan (with commitments of over looked phenomenon: India’s emergence focused on humanitarian infrastruc- upon a period of dizzying growth, aver- Chanana further wrote: “There are $2 billion since 2001), and is increasing- as a source, rather than a recipient, of ture, social projects, and development of aging nearly 8 per cent per year since three parts to that spending, namely ly seeking out new recipients. foreign aid.” skills and capacity. Disabled soldier Emergency passed Nurses in short protest today at Trinco The state of Emergency was among six arrested extended for one more month in Parliament yesterday. The motion for treasure hunting against recruitment of under qualified moved by Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne received 110 votes in An interdicted health department driv- BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE Kalmunai and Ampara districts last Responding to the stand taken by favour and 30 votes against. UNP, week. He warned that the GNOA the Public Service United Nurses er and a disabled Corporal of the Sri More than 800 nurses attached to TNA and DNA voted against. (SI) Lanka Light Infantry are under investiga- the Government Nursing Officers’ would carry out protests in the south- Union to support the Health Ministry tion over their involvement with a gang Association will stage a one-hour ern parts of the country if the Health on this issue, an annoyed Ratnapriya looking for artifacts at Radella, protest near the Trincomalee General Ministry did not solve the issue by said that neither the chief of the Kinnaragala in the Lahugala forest Hospital today (10) against recruit- stopping those recruitments which PSUNU nor some of the persons Ranil ...From page 1 reserve. ment of nurses with lower qualifica- demean the nursing profession. The responsible for issuing statements to at the near three hour meeting, The STF said that following initial tions, GNOA President, Saman GNOA has already petitioned the the press were in the nursing profes- with the exception of National questioning all suspects were handed over Ratnapriya said yesterday. Public Service Commission in this sion. So they could not care one way Organiser Ravi Karunanyake, to Pottuvil police. The protest, scheduled to com- regard. The interviews for the new or the other. Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Ranjith Of the six suspects, four are from the mence at 12 noon, is against the recruits had been halted half way on The PSUNU is of the opinion that South and the rest residents of Pottuvil. Health Ministry recruiting GCE a request made by the GNOA follow- that the acute shortage of nurses in Aluvihare, Chandrani Bandara and Advanced level students with arts and ing discussions with the Health secre- the North and East was one of the Ranjan Ramanayake. commerce qualifications for hospitals tary. foremost reasons for the Ministry to Premadasa, while thanking in the North and East. Hitherto nurs- Ratnapriya said the decision invite arts and commerce students to Wickremesinghe for supporting his es of the North and East as well as in taken by the Ministry violated the the nursing profession. A spokesman father the late Loans taken the rest of the country have been chapters 7, 2 and 4 of the Nursing for the Union said that majority of President Ranasinghe recruited according to their GCE Minute. The Nursing Minute specifies nurses from the South were reluctant Premadasa, said that from LDB Advance level results in the science that the ‘Z,’ score of those who quali- to serve in North and East owing to he has no personal stream.