India gave Rs 211 bn in aid to six neighbouring countries in 4 years: Govt

India's developmental assistance to six neighbouring countries in South Asia over the last four fiscal years amounted to over Rs 211 billion, the government on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha.

India extended developmental assistance to six neighbouring countries -- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, according to Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh's written reply to a question.

The total aid to Afghanistan from 2014-15 to 2017-18 was Rs 22.32 billion, to Bangladesh it was Rs 5.14 billion, and to Bhutan it was Rs 156.8 billion.

The developmental assistance to Maldives during the same period was Rs 2.7 billion, to Nepal it was Rs 13.22 billion, and to Sri Lanka it was Rs 10.8 billion.

The total developmental assistance to the six countries in the four years amounted to Rs 211 billion.

To another question on the details of the chief ministers that have visited China in the last three years, Singh said there have been eight visits by chief ministers to China during the period.

Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu (April 2015, June 2016), Gujarat's Anandiben Patel (May 2015), Maharashtra's Devendra Fadnavis (May 2015), Telangana's K Chandrashekhar Rao (September 2015), Haryana's Manohar Lal Khattar (January 2016), Chhatisgarh's Raman Singh (April 2016), and Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan (June 2016).