US moves with India from bilateral to trilateral assistance

With India emerging as a global economic power, the US assistance with India is now moving from bilateral to trilateral one, US officials have said.

"Our strategy with India is going to increasingly be looking at working with the Indians on mutual development goals which not all may be in India; may be in third countries," a senior Obama administration official said.

Briefing reporters on the budgetary proposals for the fiscal 2013, the official said for certain countries like India the US is now moving from assistance to trilateral cooperation.

"Our Feed the Future Initiative has already started working with India on such a program similar to one we have with Brazil and Mozambique," the official said requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the press.

"There are other countries, like Indonesia is starting up its own aid agency now. You are going to start seeing more of that and Asia is going to be probably leading the way along with the two summits on Latin America on that effort,"he said.

The budgetary proposals of the State Department, which looks after US' foreign assistance, reflects drop in US assistance to India.

For instance, America's developmental assistance to India in fiscal 2011 USD 26.5 million, which in 2012 is estimated to drop to USD 18.5 million and in 2013 fiscal beginning October 1 this year, the Obama Administration has proposed a developmental assistance of USD 15.5 million to India.

Similarly US' assistance to India in global health programme – through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – and International Military Education and Training.