After UK politicians cite India's stratospheric progress in heated debate over foreign aid, Indian government sources clarify, 'We don't request any aid'

Government sources have responded to a political debate that has broken out in the United Kingdom regarding the latter's financial assistance programme for India, and have made it clear that India doesn't request for any aid.

"The decision to offer financial assistance to India is a decision by the United Kingdom to fulfill their own priorities and commitments", top sources said to Republic TV, adding that "in any case, it is a very small amount and has come down over the years".

A controversy had broken out in the UK after the country's Theresa May-led government's own Conservative party MPs had questioned the contents of a report called "India Profile" issued by the UK's Department for International Development (DfID), and hit out at the programme that would see 52 million pounds and 46 million pounds being released as financial assistance for India in 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively.   

In the ensuing debate over the matter, the fact that India doesn't need aid and is, in fact, developing its own foreign aid programme was also raised, but not to the extent to which India's flourishing space programme was.

Conservative party MPs flagged how India is to launch the Chandrayaan-2 lunar probe later this year with an estimated outlay of 95 million pounds.

"Here we are spending money in a country that has not only got its own space programme but is developing its own overseas aid programme. To be honest, the government needs looking at if it thinks that is an appropriate way of spending taxpayers' money," Tory MP Phillip Davies told the Daily Express newspaper which also adds that the UK government has a target of spending at least 0.7% of its national income overseas. 

When a similar statement was made saying that UK aid was 'in effect', paying for India's space programme, the DfID was quick to clarify otherwise.

As per PTI, in its "India Profile" assessment, the DfID notes that it works in partnership with the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Trade and the UK Treasury to deliver joint economic development priorities in India, focusing on areas which will "generate the most jobs and lift people out of poverty". Describing India as an important economic partner for the UK, DfID points out that India is constrained in reaching its full global economic and political potential by significant internal challenges, including some 230 million people living in poverty; skills shortages; unplanned urbanisation and a huge infrastructure deficit.

Irrespective of the UK report, the Indian economy has come a long way from the days of the 1991 balance of payments crisis which necessitated the opening up of the economy. Since then India has made it a habit of outpacing most major economies, culminating in its becoming the fastest-growing major economy in the world in recent years and reporting an estimated 8.2% growth rate for Q1 2018-19 just last week. A few months ago, India surpassed France to become the sixth-largest economy in the world. Next up -- the UK -- which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said will be surpassed next year and is currently growing in the sub-2% per annum range.