New Delhi: Like Covid-19 brings havoc abroad India in the last 2 years, the government spends Rs 137 Crore to help expatriates in 2020 but only RS 24 Crore in 2021, a RTI document has revealed.
This drastic decline in assistance from Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), which was established to help India abroad at times of distress, was caused by partial government sources for interference in consular services and fewer applications to help because Covid-19 which turned off the second wave of last year in India.
Responding to a query by Karagner RTI based in the Kerala Service offered, which contributed to ICWF, too down because of the situation made by the pandemic last year.
The Indian mission imposes certain fees from NRIS in exchange for services offered to fund ICWF.
In 2020 it was a different story at all with the MEA who channeled the number of records of Rs 137 Crore and also saved the maximum number of India in recent times.
In accordance with RTI response, the money spent saw an increase of almost 100 percent from the previous year.
While the increase in 2020, according to government sources, is the result of the ministry settling the bill from previous years, the MEA response to previous year’s parliamentary questions has revealed that as many as 1.50, 127 people benefited from ICWF that year.
This is more than the combined number of ICWF recipients from 2014 to 2019.
Most beneficiaries have been influenced by pandemics that erupted in 2020.
Nampotheeny called for the use of more effective funds, past a decrease in aid last year.
“The ministry must take effective steps to ensure fast application cleaning (proper case) and increase the number of beneficiaries,” he said.
According to the government, ICWF is “Mandiri Fund” without budget support and is given according to the guidelines approved by the Union Cabinet.
Help under ICWF is provided to distribute Indian citizens abroad with “tested bases” in the most feasible cases for lodging and lodging, airways to India, legal assistance, transportation of mortal remains and emergency medical care.
According to the MEA, since 2014, around RS 447 Crores Fund has been used to expand assistance to more than 2,61,000 Indian citizens.