NEW DELHI: There has been a sharp jump of 78.5 per cent in the plan funds for the Ministry of External Affairs in the 2014-15 Union Budget with the overwhelming part of the increased amount going to Bhutan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first foreign destination.
When compared to the revised estimates for 2013-14 at Rs 11,793 crore, the overall budget for the MEA in this fiscal has risen to Rs 14,730 crore, an increase of 24.9 per cent. The plan allocation rise has been the most impressive, Rs 5,100 crore this year, compared to Rs 2,800 crore in the revised estimates for 2013-14.
Out of this plan fund, Rs 4,724 crore, a whopping 95 per cent, will be spent for the construction of big hydropower projects in Bhutan. Read more