NEW DELHI, India, Dec. 13, Reuter: Britain is to speed up a multimillion dollar aid program to help India through one ‘of its worst droughts this century, British Overseas Development Minister Christopher Patten said on Sunday.
Speaking at the end of a 10day visit during which he announced British aid worth 45 million sterling (84 million dollars), Patten said he had agreed to make payments before work began on social projects instead of after completion.
He also announced a three million sterling (5.5 million dollars) grant towards water drilling in
drought affected areas and said Britain was studying other ways of helping India deal with water shortages.
“I think the whole water sector is one in which we should be doing more”, he said.
Britain is the largest bilateral donor to India, having given bilateral and multilateral grants worth 950 million sterling (1.74 billion dollars) in the past five years.
‘Though the new projects would not increase Britain’s aid to India, Patten said: “I am under no doubt that India should remain the largest recipient of aid but I am very keen that we have enough high quality projects”.
During his visit, he announced aid for slum improvement and coal mining in South Eastern Andhra Pradesh State, zinc and lead mining and smelting in Western Rajasthan and an education program aimed at improving fertilizer USF in Central and North Eastern India.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 18, 1987
