NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that the United States embassy has contradicted claims made earlier this year by US President Donald Trump, stating that USAID had not allocated $21 million to boost voter turnout in India.
In a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the US Embassy in New Delhi has formally informed India that "USAID/India did not receive or provide funding of $21 million for voter turnout in India from fiscal years 2014 to 2024, nor has it implemented any voter turnout-related activities in India."
This clarification came after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in February 2025, had publicly posted about cancelling $486 million in USAID funding worldwide, including an alleged $21 million earmarked for "increasing voter turnout in India." Trump himself had cited this as an example of US aid misuse.
Following the post, MEA sought urgent details from the US embassy regarding all USAID-funded projects in India over the past decade. In July, the embassy shared a funding breakdown but reiterated that no voter turnout initiatives had ever been financed in India.
The MEA also confirmed that USAID operations in India have been wound up. On August 11, the US embassy notified India that all seven Partnership Agreements with the government had been closed as part of Washington’s decision to dissolve USAID globally.
According to official figures placed in Parliament, USAID funding between 2022 and 2024 in India went to programs supporting Tibetan communities, education for marginalized children, air pollution mitigation, renewable energy projects, and HIV/AIDS interventions, but none related to elections.
Here's the reply made in Rajya Sabha:
In a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the US Embassy in New Delhi has formally informed India that "USAID/India did not receive or provide funding of $21 million for voter turnout in India from fiscal years 2014 to 2024, nor has it implemented any voter turnout-related activities in India."
This clarification came after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in February 2025, had publicly posted about cancelling $486 million in USAID funding worldwide, including an alleged $21 million earmarked for "increasing voter turnout in India." Trump himself had cited this as an example of US aid misuse.
Following the post, MEA sought urgent details from the US embassy regarding all USAID-funded projects in India over the past decade. In July, the embassy shared a funding breakdown but reiterated that no voter turnout initiatives had ever been financed in India.
The MEA also confirmed that USAID operations in India have been wound up. On August 11, the US embassy notified India that all seven Partnership Agreements with the government had been closed as part of Washington’s decision to dissolve USAID globally.
According to official figures placed in Parliament, USAID funding between 2022 and 2024 in India went to programs supporting Tibetan communities, education for marginalized children, air pollution mitigation, renewable energy projects, and HIV/AIDS interventions, but none related to elections.
Here's the reply made in Rajya Sabha:
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