London: Amidst severe public funding cuts
and job losses the UK, public criticism is growing against the
David Cameron government`s decision to continue aid to an
increasingly economically prosperous India that itself gives
aid to other countries.
Britain has committed to providing 280 million pounds
aid to India until 2015, a figure that has come under
trenchant criticism at a time when cuts threaten several
public services at home.
Reports that hundreds of millions of pounds of British
aid have been allegedly squandered on schools in India have
provoked another round of angry responses from readers and
others, including members of the coalition government.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Britain has
provided 388 million pounds to the Indian education system
over the past eight years, but an investigation reportedly has
revealed that much of the money has been wasted and that
standards of reading, writing and arithmetic have dropped.
Reacting to the report, Conservative Tory MP James
Clappison said: "This casts doubt on the efficacy of the role
of UK aid in India. Perhaps that money should be spent at home
or sent to poorer countries. Some of these countries can help
themselves more."
Earlier reports had claimed that the millions of
pounds in British aid had been lost to corruption in the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan that aims to provide free education to those
aged six to 14.
PTI
