India may not be willing to recognise the Taliban, but the commitment to help exists. India's aid to war-torn Afghanistan announced in the Union budget is as much as when the Ashraf Ghani-government was very much in power. The budget 2022-23 allots Rs. 200 crore to the country, the same as last year.
Countering China with monetary might seems to be on the agenda. The allocation for Mongolia—a country that India has been focussing on quietly, keeping alive the Buddhist connection—has increased six-fold. The allotment to Mongolia increased to Rs. 12 crore from a modest Rs. 2 crore. In the budget estimate of 2020-21 it was 48 lakhs. Myanmar, also sees, a considerable jump. The budget allocates Rs. 600 crore for the country, up from Rs. 400 crore last year. This makes the fourth highest allotment for a country, after Bhutan—which gets Rs. 2,266.24—and Mauritius with Rs. 900 crore and Nepal with Rs. 750 crore. Nepal, too has seen an increase in aid of Rs. 100 crore. Aid to Maldives—which has been witnessing anti-India sentiments—has also gone up a hundred crore from the previous year. Maldives will now get Rs. 360 crore. Bangladesh will also get more Indian aid and Rs. 300 crore has been allotted in the budget. This is an increase by Rs. 100 crore.
While Nepal still has one of the highest allocations in funds, there has been a decrease from the previous year. Nepal was allotted Rs. 992 crore in 2021-22, but the revised estimates put the amount at Rs. 650 crore. In the budget for 2022-23, Nepal has been allotted Rs. 750 crore. Similarly, Seychelles sees a drop from Rs. 20 crore to Rs. 14 this year.
The commitment to Chabahar Port has not wavered. The allotment for the port is Rs. 100 crore, which remains unchanged from last year. At a point where Afghanistan's security situation remains fragile, getting access to the country through Iran—bypassing Pakistan--will certainly be what South Block would want. Especially, as India remains committed to the Afghan cause monetarily.
There has been an increase in the funds allocated to the Eurasian country. In the year 2020-21, the amount allotted was Rs. 45 crore. In 2021-22 it went to Rs. 100 crore and this year, the amount is is Rs. 140 crore—a statement of growing engagement.