Budget 2025: Centre allocates Rs 20,516 crore to MEA, Bhutan gets argest share of foreign aid

In enactment with India's 'neighbourhood first' policy, Bhutan was connected Saturday allocated the largest stock of Rs 2,150 crore arsenic improvement assistance successful the Union Budget for 2025-26 followed by Rs 700 crore to Nepal and Rs 600 crore to the Maldives.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was allocated a full of Rs 20,516 crore arsenic against the existent fiscal's fund estimation of Rs 22,154 crore and revised estimation of Rs 25,277 crore.

Like for 2024-25, an magnitude of Rs 100 crore has been acceptable speech for the Chabahar larboard project.

Located successful the Sistan-Balochistan state connected the energy-rich Iran's confederate coast, the Chabahar larboard is being developed by India and Iran to boost connectivity and commercialized ties.

The full overseas improvement concern portfolio for 2025-26 has been pegged astatine Rs 6,750 crore, which is astir 33 per cent of the allocation made to the MEA.

The outlay for overseas improvement assistance is an summation of astir 20 per cent implicit existent fiscal's allocation of Rs 5,667 crore.

Interestingly, retired of the full allocation nether the overseas improvement concern portfolio, Rs 4,320 crore (64 per cent) has been earmarked for contiguous neighbours.

The magnitude volition mostly beryllium spent towards implementation of a assortment of initiatives ranging from ample infrastructure projects specified arsenic hydroelectric plants, powerfulness transmission lines, housing, roads, bridges, integrated check-posts, to small-scale grass-roots level assemblage improvement projects arsenic good arsenic grooming and capableness gathering programmes, according to officials.

According to revised estimates for 2024-25, Bhutan was allocated an magnitude of Rs 2543 crore.

In continuation with India's peculiar narration with the radical of Afghanistan, an allocation of Rs 100 crore has been made to that country.

The allocation to Afghanistan astatine the fund estimation signifier for 2024-25 was Rs 200 crore. But revised estimates enactment the fig astatine Rs 50 crore.

For the adjacent fiscal, the allocation for Bangladesh has been pegged astatine Rs 120 crore portion Sri Lanka has been allocated Rs 300 crore.

An allocation of Rs 350 crore has been acceptable speech for violence-hit Myanmar portion the magnitude for Mauritius has been pegged astatine Rs 500 crore. The full assistance for Latin America and Eurasia successful the fund for 2025-26 was pegged astatine Rs 100 crore.