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India
SNAPSHOT
Date of independence: 1947
Capital: New Delhi
Population: 1.1 billion
Annual income per person: $720
Source: 2005 World Bank Development Indicators
USAID IN INDIA
www.usaid.gov/in
CONTACTS
Mission Director
George Deikun
USAID/New Delhi
Department of State
Washington, DC 20521-9000
Tel: 91-11-2419-8000
Washington D.C. Contact
Richard Steelman
Tel: (202) 712-0518
Email: rsteelman@usaid.gov
Children at a USAID-supported "Adolescent Club" in Devpura village in Rajasthan.
"Adolescent Clubs" allow girls and boys to study, play, eat and talk freely, promoting gender equality.
USAID incorporates gender concerns into all its programs, seeking to strengthen respect for women and girls and protect their rights. USAID also supports targeted programs to prevent female feticide and ensure access to justice for women. (Photo credit: Anita Khemka)
Overview
India has the potential to be a catalyst for economic growth and development in
an unstable region. However, poverty, rapid population growth, pockets of weak
governance and health issues challenge the country. As the world's largest democracy,
it is also a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism. More than 50 years of U.S. assistance have helped India make tremendous gains. Today, it is close to attaining its primary development goal: halving poverty by 2015 and eliminating it soon thereafter.
The United States and India are committed to reaching this goal in partnership.
Programs
Investing In People: Health
India's growing population of more than one billion complicates disease prevention. USAID has made considerable progress in reducing the transmission and impact of HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancies and child mortality. An intensive effort to further improve nutrition and healthcare for women and children, including newborns, is now underway. In Tamil Nadu, an Indian state as populous as Thailand, the HIV prevalence rate was reduced to 0.5 percent in 2005 (down from 1.13 percent in 2001). In the state of Uttar Pradesh, equal in population to Brazil, the use of contraception has increased from 27% in 1992-93 to 44% in 2005-06. In Muslim communities with persistent polio, USAID is working with faith-based organizations to battle misconceptions about the polio vaccine, creating community support and ensuring children are immunized.
Investing In People: Environment
Indians need better access to clean energy and water. Power is unreliable and financial losses in utilities run high. Water and sanitation systems, especially in cities, are overstressed - raising health risks and increasing the domestic burden on women and girls. USAID works to increase viability in the power sector to meet consumer needs, conserve energy and water resources, and promote clean technologies and renewable energy. Programs work with cities to demonstrate the link between dependable electricity supply and water conservation. Nearing completion, a USAID supported water and sanitation project will soon
serve the greater Bangalore area, providing clean drinking water and sewerage to 1.5 million people in about 300,000 households.
Investing In People: Education
Literacy is still low among Indian women and the Indian government estimates that 8-10 million youth are out of school. Abuse, violence and disease are part of everyday life for many of India's poor and most vulnerable. USAID's education program works with Indian non-governmental organizations, state governments and private corporations to reach vulnerable children. This includes transition programs, improvement in teaching quality and workforce development training. USAID creates opportunities for vulnerable people through activities that keep girls in school, improve the legal rights of women, address the problem of female feticide and combat human trafficking.
Economic Growth: Economic Opportunity
While India is a large and vibrant $700 billion economy - one of the ten largest in the world – it still has the world's largest concentration of people in poverty – more than 700 million live on less than $2 a day. High growth in the ‘90s helped lift millions out of poverty and India is now emerging as a major market economy. To promote sustained growth, USAID supports reform in agriculture and links small farmers to new markets; builds confidence in financial markets; helps state governments improve fiscal decision-making; and generates financing for urban services.
Humanitarian Aid: Responding Quickly To Disasters
Floods, drought, landslides and cyclones occur regularly in India and the earthquake risk is extremely high. USAID collaborates with the Indian government and local communities to improve their capacity in disaster prevention and response planning to save lives and minimize threats from large-scale financial, infrastructure, crop and productivity losses.
Humanitarian Aid: Rebuilding After The Tsunami
The U.S. provided $17.9 million to tsunami victims in India. USAID works to keep conditions in temporary settlements decent and healthy while people are waiting for permanent homes to be finished - 57,685 people have benefited from this assistance. To improve disaster preparedness in more than 11,800 local communities, USAID has worked with villagers and local authorities in six coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. A program linking the cities of Cuddalore and Nagapattinam with U.S. cities in Florida is also ongoing.
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