India sure has a big problem with poverty, but it has also provided economic aid to a lot of countries to help them develop their infrastructures.
I can at least say that they have transformed my country from a national of poor sugar planters and freed slaves into one of the most successful small nations in the world and one of the top economies in Africa.
High standard of living, free education and health care, welfare state and we are already the top technological hub in the indian ocean. And we achieved all that from virtually nothing in just a few decades and we still have a long way to go.
Economy of Mauritius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And bare in mind we don't have any natural resources, completely isolated in the middle of the ocean, and not enough land to even grow our own food (80% have to be imported by sea).
They were providing aid to us even long before their own economic boom. I still remember it was a running joke for us back in the days that India is giving us money and help to modernise, when they don't even have enough for themselves.
Yups even we were skeptical. But turns out high level officials and economists know a little more than the average man, even the educated ones. India got it's return on investment as well, if you can call it that.
While it makes sense (on paper at least) for India to solve it's own problems before playing the role of the generous donor, this is at least one example where India got it right. And for that I am thankful.
Also economic aid doesn't mean giving bags of cash. It also involves investments, soft loans, consultancy, providing human resources etc.
