India has launched Phase-IV of high impact community development projects worth $ 80 million for Afghanistan on 26 November 2020.
These new development initiatives include 150 community projects and a dam for water supply in Kabul. This was announced by Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar during the Afghanistan Conference of the year 2020, which was held in Geneva through video conference.
Jaishankar also announced the construction of a mulberry dam in the Kabul River Basin with Afghanistan, with the aim of providing drinking water to the two million inhabitants of Kabul city.
He informed that India had built a 202 km full-Khumri transmission line in the year 2009 to provide electricity to Kabul city.
India will also launch new US $ 80 million community development projects under Phase-IV of the High Impact Community Development Initiative.
The Foreign Minister has also shared the information that, so far, the amount of India’s development portfolio in Afghanistan is more than USD 3 billion.
Dr. Jaishankar further said that, India has operated more than 400 development projects in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan and has not left any part of Afghanistan.
India’s developmental assistance to Afghanistan can be classified into five varieties:
- Large infrastructure projects such as the 218 km Delaram-Zaranj road to provide alternative connectivity through Iran.
- India-Afghanistan Friendship Dam and Parliament House.
- Human Resource Development, Humanitarian Assistance.
- High impact community projects.
- To increase trade and investment through air and land connectivity.
Jaishankar also said that, more than 65000 Afghan students have also studied in India under various scholarship programs. Jaishankar said during the Afghanistan Conference of 2020 that the biggest obstacle for Afghanistan is the land surrounded by mountains and dry desert all around it.
He further said that Chabahar port has also helped in transporting about 75,000 tonnes of wheat and more than 20 tonnes of medicines and equipment during the Kovid-19 epidemic, India is also trying to provide connectivity to Afghanistan through this port.
