New Delhi, Feb 26 (Inditop.com) With India’s global profile growing and more demands on its diplomatic establishment, the budget of the external affairs ministry (MEA) has been raised to Rs.6,375 crore, up by Rs.43 crore.
The budget allocation for the MEA has been hiked to Rs.6,375 crore from Rs.6,333 crore in the 2009-2010 fiscal.
The budget includes plan outlay of Rs.700 crore and non-plan outlay of Rs.5,675 crore.
Of the total budget allocation, Rs.2,337 crore has been set aside for aid to neighbouring and developing countries. This fund will also be utilised for promoting multilateral investment and Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme.
The upkeep of 168 Indian embassies and posts abroad has been prioritised, with Rs.1,307 crore allotted for it, which is close to Rs.20 crore more than the last fiscal.
