Govt shuts down diaspora funds, to open 18 new missions in Africa

The India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI) will close its doors while 18 new missions will be opened across Africa. Both decisions were approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
 
The second decision is aimed at increasing India’s footprint on the resource-rich continent where China has been trying to increase its presence. The new mission will be set up over four years, starting this year, the government said.
 
The new missions will be opened in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sao Tome