| The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) • It is the U.S. government’s primary agency for international development and humanitarian assistance. • Established in 1961, USAID aims to promote global health, support economic growth, provide disaster relief, and advance democracy. • Operating in over 100 countries, it focuses on reducing poverty, improving education, and fostering sustainable development to enhance global stability and prosperity. |
- Four years after former U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act, U.S. and Indian officials are addressing hurdles posed by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
- Gandhi- King initiative was aimed at strengthening India-U.S. ties, mandated three entities:
- An exchange program for 20 scholars annually.
- A global academy by the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington
- The Gandhi-King Development Foundation.
- While the first two have been operational since 2021, progress on the foundation has been slow due to scrutiny over U.S. government funds.
- An MoU signed in June 2024 in Delhi but clarity on its structure is still needed.
- USAID oversees the implementation, requiring both U.S. and Indian private sector funding.
- USAID is ready to allocate $29 million in seed funding, pending private sector contributions from India and FCRA compliance.
Dig Deeper: Read about US-India joint initiatives in various sectors like Space and Defence.
