A smart group of men in lounge suits and aristocratic ladies in formal dresses lingered around the Atlee Suite in Portcullis House on December 16 for the launch of Target 2015 by the Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn. As I walked into the room, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Benn had arrived well before the guests.
A small group of people stood around him and he was calmly replying to a set of animated questions initiated by Dr Natubhai Shah of the Jain Samaj.
“But what recognition has the government given to the contribution of the Indian community in the UK?” asked Dr Shah, as I joined the group.
“The Government has been quite helpful to faith communities as a rule,” I replied to Dr Shah. “We are fortunate the Government consults faith communities regularly. They also have community cohesion as well as race and equality as important agendas.”
“But that is not enough,” persisted Dr Shah. “How has the government recognised our contribution?”
“I think there are many ways this has been done,” I added not intending to let go in a hurry. “When the Foreign Secretary came to the Diwali reception we had hosted in Parliament, he said that Britain was grateful to the Indian community because 60,000 of our soldiers had fought and died in the World Wars. Where you there when he said – ‘what you have done for us, we cannot do for you’?”
“Yes,” sighed Dr Shah. “But they must make this fact more widely known.”
“At least it was a beginning,” added Benn, finally managing a long overdue word.
“Can I see you sometime to discuss what aid the DFID is offering to projects in India?” asked Dr Shah, suddenly changing the subject with dignified poise, and a warm smile.
“I don’t directly deal with handing out funds to NGOs in India,” replied the ever diplomatic Secretary of State. “If I did, I would have a very long queue of people in my office looking for development funding. You would be better off speaking to Frances Burns, my colleague who is standing over there.”
I tried to imagine the marauding crowds suddenly shifting from the Benn to Burns in an attempt to get a piece of the development cake. Fortunately for Frances, not too many people knew of her role at the DFID. Not yet anyway.
Hindu values helpful for international development
After the launch of the Target 2015 booklet by Hilary Benn, and an excellent presentation on Hindu Aid by Bhavit Mehta of Hindu Youth UK, I met the Parliamentary Undersecretary for International Development, Gareth Thomas.
Thomas, whose constituency in Harrow boasts a large proportion of Hindu voters, is a quiet and unassuming man with a clean image both in and out of Parliament.
“We were delighted at the formation of Hindu Aid as a partnership of Hindu organisations having a target to join with the UK government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals,” he said. “The Hindu community has in its values and ambitions for fellow citizens, a real recognition for reducing poverty and improving health care and education. Therefore we feel that the Hindu community can be a huge force for change in this country.”
Thomas felt that one sign of the Hindu community’s affinity for development work was the huge response to the Gujarat earthquake. “Huge sums of money were raised to help the victims. What we need to do is to build on this awareness and gather support for the campaign to achieve the Millennium Development Goals,” he added.
Thomas explained that India had received £205 million aid last year. 63-65% of the aid goes to the government as financial aid, and 25% is spent on Technical Assistance and the rest (about 10-12%) to the NGOs, civil society and the multilaterals like UNICEF and ILO. DFID works in partnership with four state governments in India and supported the Aids control programme last year with £123 million.
“One example is our aid for the extension of the polio vaccine – the total commitment for Polio is £ 98 million. This has helped prevent this crippling disease for so many children,” Thomas concluded.
“I guess this is a job that must be personally very fulfilling for you,” I commented.
Thomas’ face lit up as he said, “Yes of course. Last year when I visited India, I personally got three children vaccinated. And boy, did they cry!”
Copies of Target 2015 can be collected by sending an email to hinduaid@yahoo.co.uk
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