Govt undertook 325 grant projects in partner countries since 2014

The government has undertaken 325 grant projects in partner countries since 2014, out of which 145 have been completed, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said Wednesday.

Singh, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, also gave details of the expenditure on projects in various countries.

India has spent Rs 1,499.86 crore on projects in Bhutan till October of the 2018-2019 fiscal, according to the data cited by Singh.

The amount spent on projects in Nepal during the same period is Rs 561.99 crore. This is a significant increase on the Rs 376.61 crore spent in 2017-18.

In Afghanistan, India has spent Rs 374.51 crore till October of this fiscal.

"As part of our active engagement with partner countries under development cooperation, the government has since 2014, undertaken a number of projects under various modalities with our partner countries," Singh said.

"Out of 325 main grant projects undertaken, 145 projects have been completed and the remaining projects are under various stages of implementation," he added.

The projects are wide ranging, covering different sectors such as connectivity, energy, hydropower, roads, agriculture, civil infrastructure, culture, capacity-building, training, humanitarian assistance and healthcare.