India's 2025-26 Budget: Who's Winning and Losing in Foreign Aid? 🤔📉
- MediaFx
- Feb 4
- 2 min read
TL;DR: India's latest budget has cut the Ministry of External Affairs' funds by 7.3%. South Asian countries are getting a bigger slice of the aid pie, with the Maldives and Sri Lanka seeing increases, while others face cuts or no change. The overall foreign aid budget is now just 0.13% of India's total spending.
Hey folks! Let's dive into India's 2025-26 budget and see who's getting the goodies and who's left hanging. 🎢
Budget Cuts and What's Up with MEA?
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is seeing a 7.3% drop in its budget compared to last year. But hold up! MEA peeps say this might not show the full picture since there's no cash set aside this year for covering defaults on loans given by the Exim Bank of India. In the past, big chunks of the budget went there.
South Asia: The Favorite Child?
South Asia is getting 57.65% of India's total foreign aid this year—the biggest share since 2018-19. Bhutan's still the top receiver with ₹2,150 crore, a slight bump from last year. The Maldives gets a cool ₹600 crore, up from ₹400 crore, and Sri Lanka sees a modest increase to ₹300 crore. Nepal and Bangladesh? No changes for them, staying at ₹700 crore and ₹120 crore respectively.
Beyond the Neighborhood: Who's Getting What?
Myanmar and Mauritius are pocketing ₹350 crore and ₹500 crore, respectively. The strategic Chabahar port in Iran continues to get ₹100 crore. But the Seychelles? Their aid got chopped in half to ₹19 crore.
Big Picture: Aid's Tiny Slice of the Pie
Overall, India's foreign aid is just 0.13% of the total budget. Even though the MEA's aid allocation went up by about 20% to ₹6,750 crore, half of that increase is for international training programs.
What's the Deal?
While some neighbors are getting a bit more love, the overall drop in foreign aid might raise eyebrows. Is India tightening its belt, or just shifting priorities? Time will tell how this plays out on the global stage.
Your Thoughts?
What do you think about these budget moves? Drop your comments below! 💬👇
