'Jhoot brigade': Congress cites finance ministry report to target Centre on USAID funding

NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday pointed to Union finance ministry report to target Centre on US Agency for International Development (USAID) funding claims to India.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a post on X accused the government of lying, emphasising that the seven projects listed in the finance ministry report have no connection to "voter turnout".
"None other than the Union finance ministry has thoroughly exposed the lies of the PM and his jhoot brigade, including his dapper External Affairs Minister. As stated in the Finance Ministry's annual report for 2023-24, USAID is currently implementing seven projects in collaboration with the Government of India, with a combined budget of approximately $750 million," Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
"Not a single of these projects has to do with voter turnout. ALL of them are with and through the Union government," he added.

Political controversy erupted in the country earlier this month after the Elon Musk-led DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) claimed that it had cancelled a $21 million grant to India to boost "voter turnout".
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that under Joe Biden's previous administration, USAID allocated $21 million in funding to India for 'voter turnout' and called it a "kickback scheme".
External affairs minister S Jaishankar responded to the claims and said that the information released by the Trump administration is "concerning" and under investigation.
The USAID was allowed in India "in good faith, to do good faith activities", and suggestions are being made out of America that "there are activities which are in bad faith," Jaishankar had said.
According to the finance ministry report, India was implementing seven projects worth $750 million in partnership with the USAID.
The money - $97 million (around Rs 825 crore) in 2023-24 - was used for seven projects covering agriculture, forest and climate adaptation, water and sanitation, renewable energy, health and disaster management, the finance ministry said in its annual report for the last financial year.
The funds - $97 million (approximately Rs 825 crore) in 2023-24 - supported seven projects in agriculture, forest and climate adaptation, water and sanitation, renewable energy, health and disaster management, according to the finance ministry's annual report.
The previous report listed identical projects without specifying the 2022-23 funding amount.
The projects remained consistent over recent years, with approximately $70 million allocated for FY22 and FY21. The ministry noted that US bilateral development assistance began in 1951, primarily through USAID, providing $17 billion for 555 projects across various sectors over 73 years.