Aid and Debt in India &Sri Lanka

History of India India earned its independence from the British on the 15/8/47. But the British army left India ultimately in The Indians celebrate 26/1/1950 as the Republic Day of India. On this day the Indian constitution was adopted. Until its independence in 1947, other countries which neighbor India today; Pakistan, Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), Myanmar (formerly Burma) and distant places like Aden in present day Yemen; were all parts of British India and were all considered as India. Until then (including the British era) India was never one single country but a collection of kingdoms and authorities with no sense of unity. In this sense India as one single country is mainly a result of British rule. Before that the word India was not used to indicate the present day India, but any kingdom, culture or community that existed between present day Afganistan, in the west, up to China and Myanmar in the east.

Capital: Delhi Population: 1.08 billion Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidians 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% Languages: Hindi (national); there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% Life expectancy: Female: years, Male: years People living with HIV/AIDS: 3.97 million Infant mortality: per 1,000 live births Literacy: females 48.3%, males 70.2% Population below poverty line (US$1 per day): 34.7%

Since independence India has had to draw on foreign investments to finance part of its economic development. the Western nations have donated a substantial amount of aid to India this aid totalled nearly US$1.5 billion and reached US$2.5 billion in 1990 About 90 percent of all aid received by India has been in the form of loans the World Bank organized the Aid-to-India Consortium, consisting of the World Bank Group. The consortium was formed to coordinate aid and establish priorities among India's major sources of foreign assistance and to simplify India's requests for aid based on its plans for development India maintains a small but well-established foreign aid program of its own In 1992 Western aid reached a new height: US$3.9 billion, which represented 49.8 percent of all Western multilateral and bilateral aid given to South Asian nations that year. Consortium aid was bilateral government-to- government aid from the thirteen consortium countries, and almost all of the aid, including that from the World Bank Group, was for specific projects judged to be valuable contributions to India's development.

Brief history of Sri Lanka An attempt was made at economic independence, with a five- year plan to achieve industrial development. However, this was stymied due to a shortage of foreign exchange, which was exacerbated by the oil crisis of 1974, combined with an unprecedented drought which severely affected the harvest of rice, the staple food of the country's people. Strides forward were made in the fields of heavy industry, automotive spares and electronics.five- year plan1974drought ricestaple food Dissatisfaction with the economic situation brought the UNP under Senanayake back to office in 1965, but this government fared no better, since the underlying cause of Sri Lanka's problems was the declining market for its traditional commodity exports, tea, coffee and rubber. In 1968 Bandaranaike formed a coalition, the United Front with the LSSP and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, which swept the 1970 polls on a platform of socialism United FrontCommunist Party of Sri Lanka1970

Development in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is a low-income country with about one quarter of the population living below the poverty line. This persistent poverty is largely caused by two decades of civil conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The conflict remains unresolved. Although the health and education systems are good compared to other countries in South Asia, their quality is under threat because of a lack of government investment. In higher education there is a large gap between available training and the country's needs. High emigration rates mean that many of the best qualified Sri Lankan’s are now living overseas. Degradation of the natural resource base is a serious problem affecting people's livelihoods, particularly in the dry-zone areas of Sri Lanka. Increases in population and inappropriate management of the existing resource base are the main reasons for the degradation. The dry areas of these districts have poor infrastructure and also lack many basic services. This reduces the water available for drinking and for agricultural purposes. Nearly one-third of Sri Lankan women are undernourished and anaemic. The average weight gain during pregnancy is as low as 7.5 kg compared to the minimum requirement of 10 kg. Around one out of every five babies born in Sri Lanka has low birth weight, that is, below 2.5 kg.

Aid in Sri Lanka Bilateral activities Australian Community Rehabilitation Program (ACRP) Contribution: $6.1 million (est. 2005/06) Duration: Ongoing This program helps communities directly affected by the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka return to their homes, achieve sustainable livelihoods, and pursue family and community reconciliation and recovery. ACRP also supports proposals that help communities affected by the tsunami and the ethnic conflict. The program provides funding to UN agencies and international non-government organisations that have good linkages to local communities directly affected by the ethnic conflict. Efficient water and sanitation services - like health and education - help lay the groundwork for a more productive, healthy population capable of contributing to sustained economic growth. Australia gives aid because giving aid reflects our desire to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Australia's aid program creates jobs and opportunities for Australians. Australia's aid program focuses on the Asia Pacific region

Anneka Hardowar WOOHHOOOO!!!