Feb 01, Kathmandu- India has increased the subsidy amount to Nepal by INR 100 crore. In the interim budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Indian Parliament on Thursday, it is mentioned that the subsidy given to Nepal has been increased.

Earlier, in the 2023/2024 budget presented on Falgun 1 last year, it was mentioned that 5.5 billion Indian rupees, i.e. 8.8 billion Nepali rupees, would be provided as a subsidy to Nepal. In the budget presented on Thursday, the said amount has been revised to 650 crores, i.e. 10.43 billion Nepali rupees.

Among the South Asian countries, India is going to provide the most grant assistance to Maldives. For 2023/2024, India is going to give a grant of 770 million baht to Maldives. In the budget presented earlier, it was mentioned that 400 crores will be given as subsidy to Maldives. In the budget submitted on Thursday, the said amount has been revised and increased by 370 crores.

Likewise, India has increased its debt by reducing the amount of subsidy given to Bhutan. Earlier, it was mentioned that 1,632 crores of grants and 768 crores of loans would be given, and on Thursday, the amount was revised and 784 crores of grants and 1,614 crores of loans were mentioned.

India has also reduced the amount of aid to Sri Lanka. Although an estimate of 150 crores of subsidy was submitted earlier, the amount was reduced to 600 crores in the submitted budget on Thursday. Similarly, grants and loans to Afghanistan have been increased by Rs 20/20 crore to Rs 220/220 crore. In the same way, India has also cut 700 crores in the subsidy amount to another neighboring country, Bangladesh. It is mentioned in the budget that India will grant 130 crore rupees to Bangladesh.

Finance Minister Sitharaman presented the Interim Budget in the Parliament before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While presenting the budget, she said that the Indian Budget-2024 is the 'Future Budget of India'. In her speech, she also mentioned that India will be a developed nation by 2047.

Finance Minister Sitharaman has mentioned that 300 units of electricity will be provided free of cost to 1 crore households under solar energy. Similarly, it is mentioned in the budget to vaccinate girls aged 9 to 14 years to prevent cervical cancer.