'Aid is past, trade is future': Khurshid on UK aid

New Delhi, Nov 8: India and the UK on Thursday downplayed the contentious issue of slashing of 280 million pounds per annum British aid by half as External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said, "aid is past, trade is future." Addressing a joint press conference with his UK counterpart William Hague, Khurshid said that the matter was not discussed.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid shakes hands with William Hague, MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom during a meeting at Hyderabad house in New Delhi

"If we did not discuss it (aid issue), it did not merit a discussion." The UK decided to slash the assistance to half due to mounting domestic criticism that Britain's overseas assistance to India was not justified in times of downturn. On his part, Hague said Britain's international development secretary Justine Greening would be examining the issue and take a decision. He also said the two countries are holding talks on the issue.

"We have been discussing the issue... The governments of UK and India have agreed on the way forward on this issue," Hague said, adding that Greening would be issuing a statement and he did "not want to preempt the issue". Khurshid said the two sides had discussed all aspects of bilateral trade, which "has immense potential" and noted that India is third largest investor in Britain, while the UK also has major investments in India.

President Pranab Mukherjee as finance minister had dismissed British aid as "peanuts" in India's total development expenditure.

PTI