Syllabus section- International Relations
Why in news
India on November 26, 2020 unveiled Phase-IV of High Impact Community Development Projects for Afghanistan worth USD 80 million.
The new development initiatives include 150 community projects and a dam to supply water to Kabul.
Key Highlights
• External affairs minister also announced an agreement with Afghanistan to build the Shahtoot Dam in the Kabul river basin with the purpose of providing drinking water to two million residents of Kabul city.
• He informed that India had earlier built the 202-kilometer Phul-e-Khumri transmission line in 2009 to provide electricity to Kabul city.
• India would also launch new community development projects USD 80 million under the Phase-IV of High Impact Community Development initiative.
• The initiative is to focus on smaller projects that can be completed speedily to benefit people in villages and districts.
• Dr Jaishankar emphasized India’s long term commitment to Afghanistan’s development and the benefit of its people as a contiguous neighbor and strategic partner.
• India would also launch new community development projects USD 80 million under the Phase-IV of High Impact Community Development initiative.
• The initiative is to focus on smaller projects that can be completed speedily to benefit people in villages and districts.
• Dr Jaishankar emphasized India’s long term commitment to Afghanistan’s development and the benefit of its people as a contiguous neighbor and strategic partner.
India’s development initiatives in Afghanistan
• The EAM shared that India’s development portfolio in Afghanistan to date amounts to over USD 3 billion.
• Dr Jaishankar further highlighted that India has left no part of Afghanistan untouched by its 400 plus development projects in all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces.
India’s developmental aid for Afghanistan can be categorised under five types:
1. Large infrastructure projects such as the 218-km Delaram-Zaranj road to provide alternative connectivity through Iran
2. India-Afghanistan friendship dam and the Parliament building
3. Human resource development, humanitarian assistance
4. High impact community projects
5. Enhancing trade and investment through air and land connectivity
Source- Jagran(English)