New Delhi: India on Tuesday announced new development initiatives including the construction of the Shahtoot dam in Afghanistan, which would provide safe drinking water to two million residents of Kabul city.
Pertinently, India had earlier built the 202-kilometre Phul-e-Khumri transmission line that provided electricity to Kabul city.
The announcement was made by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar during the 2020 Afghanistan Conference being organised in Geneva over video teleconferencing.
The conference is co-hosted by the United Nations, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the Government of Finland and aims to reaffirm the commitment of the international community to Afghanistan during the second half of the transformational decade 2015-2024.
Against the backdrop of mounting global concern over increased attacks by the Taliban, the External Affairs Minister reiterated that India looks forward to walking hand in hand with the people of Afghanistan and the world community in working towards a peaceful, prosperous, sovereign, democratic and united Afghanistan.
Jaishankar also announced the launch of Phase-IV of the High Impact Community Development Projects in Afghanistan, which envisages more than 100 projects worth US$ 80 million that India would undertake in Afghanistan.
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During the conference, the minister underscored that India's development portfolio in Afghanistan has till-date amounted to over US$ 3 billion.
It was highlighted that no part of Afghanistan today is untouched by the 400-plus projects that India has undertaken in all 34 of Afghanistan's provinces. More than 65,000 Afghan students have also studied in India and 15,000 students are currently in India.
Some 3,000 scholarships have been provided to Afghan women for higher studies, and vocational education is being provided to an increasing number of women in Afghanistan.
At the same time, Jaishankar expressed concern at the recent spike in violence in Afghanistan, which he described as a contiguous neighbour. "India has invested heavily in peace and development in Afghanistan and believes that the gains of the last two decades must be preserved and the interests of minorities, women and vulnerable sections must be ensured."
The EAM expressed concern regarding the increasing level of violence in Afghanistan and reiterated India's call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire. "We also believe the peace process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled," he added.
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However, Afghanistan's growth has been constrained by its landlocked geography and India-developed Chabahar port in Iran has provided alternative connectivity and a dedicated Air Freight Corridor between India and Afghanistan.
India's humanitarian assistance of 75,000 tonnes of wheat to strengthen the food security of Afghanistan during the Covid pandemic has been transported through Chabahar port, Jaishankar said.
