One-billion dollar Indian aid to Mongolia: Parliament nod should be compulsory to give any foreign-aid


SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL
(Guinness Record Holder & RTI Activist)

It refers to Shiv Sena, an ally in NDA government at the centre rightly criticising announcement of a hefty one-billion dollar aid announced by Prime Minister Narender Modi to Mongolia during his recent visit to that country. Country is presently facing a big financial crunch like all other countries with Indian states crying for centre’s aid for various purposes. Otherwise also, India itself gets aid for its various projects from international sources. It is not at all justified that on one side India depends on international funding for many of its projects, but on the other side it becomes over-generous in granting such heavy monetary aids to other countries. Rules should be changed so that any aid to any foreign country by Indian government may have compulsory nod from the Parliament.

Even other aids including military aid should also not be provided only at discretion of Prime Minister. Unmindful and immature decision of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in sending Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) between July 1987 and March 1990 to Shrilanka at a very crucial time when Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) was just on its goal to achieve victory for humanitarian cause of Tamils there fighting against atrocities on them even caused killing of Rajiv Gandhi himself. IPKF became enemy of both LTTE and majority non-Tamils of Shrilanka making Indian army facing worst-ever casualty-figure by many young Indian army officers losing lives because of undesired direct intervention in fight between LTTE and Shrilankan forces.