Amid a political controversy surrounding allegations that funds from the United States Agency for International Development were used for election interference in India, data from the finance ministry showed that the humanitarian aid agency implemented seven projects in India in partnership with the Centre in 2023-’24.

None of the projects, however, were about “voter turnout”, as alleged by United States President Donald Trump.

The finance ministry said in its annual report for 2023-’24: “Currently, seven projects worth a total budget of $750 million [approx] are being implemented by USAID in partnership with Government of India.”

During this time, funding was allocated to projects focused on agriculture and food security, water, sanitation and hygiene, renewable energy, disaster management and health, but not for enhancing voter turnout.

The US Agency for International Development has committed a total of $97 million, or about Rs 825 crore, for the seven projects in the financial year 2023-24, the report added.

The United States began bilateral development assistance to India in 1951, primarily through USAID. Since then, USAID has contributed over $17 billion to India across more than 555 projects in various sectors.

The agency’s functioning, however, has come under controversy since Donald Trump took over as the United States president. On January 24, Trump imposed a 90-day freeze on money distributed by the organisation pending a review by the US State Department.

On February 16, the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump’s administration announced that it had cancelled several international aid initiatives through USAID “costing taxpayers’ dollars”.

The list of initiatives for which funding was revoked included $486 million in grants to the nonprofit organisation Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening, including $21 million that was purportedly for voter turnout in India.

On February 19, Trump said he “guessed” that the previous administration was “trying to get somebody else elected” in India by having allegedly provided $21 million “for voter turnout”.

On February 21, Trump repeated his allegations that $21 million in funding was given by the USAID for “voter turnout” in India, claiming this time that this money went to “my friend Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi”.

On the same day, however, a report in The Indian Express said that this funding was for Bangladesh, not India.

Nevertheless, Trump’s statements sparked a row between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, with both parties accusing the other of being the beneficiary of the purported funding.