Washington: The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), recently led by Elon Musk, is cancelling a $22 million effort to boost turnout in India. This directive is part of a wider reduction in assistance, estimated at $723 million, to dozens of countries, including $29 million less for Bangladesh.
All taxpayer funding allocated for these projects has been reclaimed, and an announcement via a tweet from DOGE was made. The cancellation, however, has stirred controversy in India, with Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP IT cell, questioning why taxpayer money was used to fund such an event. He said, $21 million for turnout? This is interference from outside in India’s electoral process. Who benefits from this? Not the ruling party, right?
These cuts are also consistent with a trend of tightening restrictions on foreign aid and limiting wasteful spending that started under the Trump administration. Such cuts have the more significant implications of foreign influence on domestic electoral processes.
Not long ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the USA, and Musk and he talked on the phone about innovation, space, AI, and sustainable development. Musk also brought his three kids along to his meeting with them.
However, the changing geopolitical dynamics could impact international relations and the domestic electoral system in countries like India, for example, resulting in the cancellation of such funding schemes.
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