NEW DELHI: Under the Joe Biden administration, the US provided $720 million in assistance to India in the past four years, with 64% allocated to health initiatives, mostly managed by the now-defunct USAID, and $20.1 million for democratic participation and civil society — a sector that is currently sparking political controversy in India over spending on voter turnout, according to an analysis of US government data by this newspaper.
Ranked between 4th and 5th among 15 South and Central Asian countries, India’s share of US aid over the past four years was 35% less than Pakistan’s $970 million, and significantly higher than China’s $49.7 million during the same period.
However, in South Asia, Bangladesh received $1.89 billion, nearly 162% more than India. However, in 2022, India received $20 million more than Pakistan, totalling $250 million in aid, primarily due to post-COVID initiatives.
The health sector received a total of $462 million in the past four years for various programmes, including fighting HIV-AIDS administered through USAID.
Elon Musk, involved in the White House’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, had previously called the USAID “a criminal organization” and claimed that Trump had agreed to shut it down.
Sanjeev Sanyal, the government’s economic advisor, had accused USAID of playing a secret role in influencing policy in the health and social sector.
“Those concerned about USAID’s interference in Indian elections should be equally concerned about USAID’s tentacles in India’s medical system and social policies. USAID effectively ran India’s National Family Health Survey from the 1990s till it was stopped two years ago,” he said.
Musk’s figure of $21 million spent on the Indian elections aligns with the US data on money earmarked for democratic participation and civil society efforts in India.
In the 2024 election year, the US allocated $5.5 million toward voter turnout initiatives, with an additional $6.1 million spent in 2023 under the same category. Over the past four years, the total commitment for democratic participation was $20.1 million, of which $13.25 million was disbursed. However, the data does not specify the end beneficiaries.
“Why are we giving $21 million to India? They have a lot more money. They are one of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us; we can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high,” Trump told reporters.