'DON'T give aid, India doesn't need it'

[Oracle]

Britain's attempt at offering a helping hand to India by pledging to hand over a billion pounds as aid till 2015 has outraged politicians in London who believe that the move is an 'unacceptable' waste of public money.


The Daily Express quoted critics of the overseas aid budget as saying that public money was being wasted at a time when public services in Britain were being drastically cut.

They also appeared annoyed with the fact that the cash was being offered to India, a new economic giant that has nuclear weapons, a space programme and itself gives aid to Africa, while schools, libraries, swimming pools, meals-on-wheels, nurseries and other services were being threatened with closure in Britain, the paper said.

Amid concerns that India's economy is growing at nearly 8.5 percent a year, while that of Britain has faltered in the last three months of 2010, Tory Member of Parliament Philip Davies plans to bring up the issue during International Development Questions in the Commons on Wednesday.

"It is completely unacceptable to be giving aid to a country that can afford to spend vast amounts of money on nuclear weapons and a space programme. India's economy is growing at a rate that we can only dream of. It is quite extraordinary to be giving aid money to a country that could end up lending it back to us. International aid should be spent on the poorest countries of the world that have no economic growth," Davies said.


Emma Boon, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, expressed his disappointment by saying that India is one of the world's fastest-growing economies and paying such a huge amount is unjustifiable.

"At a time when we are making spending cuts at home, it is unfair to force taxpayers to pour another 1billion in aid, over the next four years, into a country that has a space programme. Much of this aid never reaches those who really need it and the Department for International Development would do better to focus on trying to prevent abuses of the aid they are already giving out, before promising more," he added.


Mitchell, a Tory minister in the ruling coalition, dismissed the critics' claims to halt the aid, saying, "India has more poor people than the whole of sub-Saharan Africa."


He also said that aid money to India would be frozen until the next elections.

Source

 

[Oracle]

Rather strange, that Philip Davies did not see aid money being given to Pakistan shunted out to terrorists and in ramping up Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, while the same which could help India in various developments have been objected. Also, he should have known that the aid of a billion pounds to India, would have been returned back with interest, which is not the same with their darling Pakistan. He needs lessons' in diplomacy and in economics, as India is also the 2nd largest investor in Britain.

 

[amitkriit]

UK is returning a small part of our riches they had looted from us during "British Raj". I think 1 Billion GBP doesn't even make up for the interest, they must recalculate and raise the amount.

 

[pmaitra]

If the Brits give us aid, I'd gladly take it. If the Brits return the Koh-i-Noor, I'd gladly take it as well. I'd never refuse money.

Hey, it is $$! (Well, actually ₤₤)

I just won't ask for money, that's it.

Also, when India gets the money, India could issue a receipt stating how much of the EMI UK is paying back and how much more it has to pay, to be computed on the estimated money the British Empire made out of India till 1947.

 

[Singh]

IInstead of aid we should enter into treaties which will mutually benefit both UK and India. Treaties which will allow us access to British technology, know how and British companies access to vast Indian market and manpower.

 

[pmaitra]

^^ Good point. Also, blanket work permit, VISA free travel for those UK and Indian citizens who have some minimum qualification, such as, but not limited to, having a Master's Degree from any ACU recognised University.

 

[Oracle]

^^ Good point. Also, blanket work permit, VISA free travel for those UK and Indian citizens who have some minimum qualification, such as, but not limited to, having a Master's Degree from any ACU recognised University.

Not gonna happen. UK is pounded by radical islamists from Pakistan and from other African countries such as Somalia, who go to UK as refugees/students and then start all sorts of illegal activities, after getting citizenship. Many, without citizenship.

The curtailment of even work migration from the sub-continent(mainly India) by passing strict laws, while not curtailing it from Europe is due to terrorism and the growing number of brown skin citizens.

Places such as Birmingham, Leicester, Hounslow(East, West, Central), Luton, Southampton, Southall consists of population from the sub continent. Also many other places, including East London. Home grown extremists coupled with exports from Pakistan is giving the UK a nightmare. Plus, they are too scared of Britain being run over by brown skinned people from the sub-continent, instead of Whites. Closet racism, and it still exists!

Now to curb terrorist export to the UK, they simply cannot ban students & businessmen from Pakistan to go to UK, Pakistan being their darling. So they ban the whole sub-continent, by passing stringent laws, which qualified Indians too find tough to get through. I don't think they are paranoid about Indians, but Pakistan & Bangladesh too, to an extent.

Added later: I would also like to add that UK has little or no issues with the Indian population there, as they have contributed to the society and economy immensely.

 

[pmaitra]

^^ Why not propose something like this to the UK? I think I am being reasonable to place certain criteria, like having a certain qualification (e.g. Master's Degree) to be eligible for VISA free travel and it would apply equally to both Indian and UK citizens. UK might as well decline once. We can keep proposing this again and again. It's worth a try. Sometimes, being a pest helps.

 

[warriorextreme]

we really DONT need aid from any country in this world...
as Bill Gates said Indian businessmen should learn to give more...
we really can solve our problem if we learn the power of GIVING...
Giving can be in form of money to organizations...books to libraries...old clothes to poor...or even an hour from our busy week...

 

[Oracle]

^^ Why not propose something like this to the UK? I think I am being reasonable to place certain criteria, like having a certain qualification (e.g. Master's Degree) to be eligible for VISA free travel and it would apply equally to both Indian and UK citizens. UK might as well decline once. We can keep proposing this again and again. It's worth a try. Sometimes, being a pest helps.

Immigration rules to the UK, is the prerogative of the Home Minister(UK) along with the Border Agency which implements them, India do not and cannot propose anything. And even if India proposes something, UK simply cannot do this for India openly, while it places restrictions on countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh etc.

If you look at the number of Indian Professionals going to the UK, it is still much more in comparison to people from other countries in the sub-continent. Back Channel diplomacy at work.

Read more here!

 

[chex3009]

They are smart, the british. They know if they provide aid to India now, they will receive it in future from the same hands when they need it. They are simply investing for their future.

 

[Blackwater]

We are poor country. We don't have toilets. Pls give 1 billion pounds we will make 1 billion toilets..

 

[Vikramaditya]

We are poor country. We don't have toilets. Pls give 1 billion pounds we will make 1 billion toilets..:balle::balle::balle:

There is nothing to celebrate and yes we are poor country and thats a truth.

 

[Vikramaditya]

We are poor country. We don't have toilets. Pls give 1 billion pounds we will make 1 billion toilets..:balle::balle::balle:

There is nothing to celebrate and yes we are poor country and thats a truth.

 

[amitkriit]

There is nothing to celebrate and yes we are poor country and thats a truth.

There is something to celebrate, we are getting 1 Billion GBP which we will not have to return. NGOs will be the happy lot, they have fattened their bank accounts on such money in past.

 

[The Messiah]

They should first return all stolen wealth before acting like saints.

Only a few decades without stealing other nations wealth and they are near the gutter about to fall down.

 

[blade]

We are poor, and this is certainly not the time for us to become proud and pamper our false ego. YES we should accept every possible help that could be extracted out from the rest of the world.The real question is not the source of fund rather its the rightly & accountable use of the fund to provide the basic amenities to our fellow citizens.Cut down corruption,borrow,beg for that matter do anything to amass wealth while scared,paranoid,jealous dogs barks at us for one more decade.Once we have enough just buy an expensive shoe,wear it tight and kick the dogs hard until it curls its tails and lumber off while we should not forget to provide some free pain killer drugs as a relief package.

 

[Payeng]

AFAIK India have a 'No aid taking policy' correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Oracle]

As I said before, back channel diplomacy!

Britain to let in 20,000 Indians every year: Report

LONDON: Britain is preparing to let in some 20,000 skilled Indian workers every year, a media report said, citing secret documents.

The Indian migrants, most of them skilled information technology professionals, are to be allowed into the UK every year under the multi-billion-pound European Union-India Free Trade Agreement which is being negotiated in the corridors of Belgian capital Brussels, the 'Sunday Express' reported.

In fact, the workers will enter via controversial "intracompany transfer visas" which allow foreign companies to send cheap home grown labour to Britain for a maximum of five years, the report said.

The deal was initiated by former EU Trade Commissioner Lord Mandelson in 2007 and is expected to be signed by the end of June, it said.

The deal will not only allow Indian workers to bypass the British government's new immigration caps, but would also exempt them from the National Insurance in their first year, though they may use the National Health Service for free.

According to the report, the figure of 20,000 Indian workers is nearly 40 per cent of the proposed quota for all 27 countries in the EU; it is more than double the next highest figure for Germany, which will take just 7,115 a year.

It is also in addition to the 20,700 annual cap on skilled non-EU workers, which was announced to great fanfare by British Prime Minister David Cameron last year. And, UK's Business Secretary Vince Cable won a cabinet battle November to ensure the visas for Indian workers were exempt from the Government's new points-based immigration cap.

Source

 

[Blackwater]

As I said before, back channel diplomacy!

Britain to let in 20,000 Indians every year: Report

LONDON: Britain is preparing to let in some 20,000 skilled Indian workers every year, a media report said, citing secret documents.




The Indian migrants, most of them skilled information technology professionals, are to be allowed into the UK every year under the multi-billion-pound European Union-India Free Trade Agreement which is being negotiated in the corridors of Belgian capital Brussels, the 'Sunday Express' reported.

In fact, the workers will enter via controversial "intracompany transfer visas" which allow foreign companies to send cheap home grown labour to Britain for a maximum of five years, the report said.

The deal was initiated by former EU Trade Commissioner Lord Mandelson in 2007 and is expected to be signed by the end of June, it said.

The deal will not only allow Indian workers to bypass the British government's new immigration caps, but would also exempt them from the National Insurance in their first year, though they may use the National Health Service for free.

According to the report, the figure of 20,000 Indian workers is nearly 40 per cent of the proposed quota for all 27 countries in the EU; it is more than double the next highest figure for Germany, which will take just 7,115 a year.

It is also in addition to the 20,700 annual cap on skilled non-EU workers, which was announced to great fanfare by British Prime Minister David Cameron last year. And, UK's Business Secretary Vince Cable won a cabinet battle November to ensure the visas for Indian workers were exempt from the Government's new points-based immigration cap.

Source

Indian skilled workers are the largest as non EU working in UK