Economist Sanjeev Sanyal on Sunday described USAID, a statutory body of the US government, as "the biggest scam in human history" and sought to know where it spent $21 million to improve "voter turnout in India". Sanyal's post comes after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, revealed that the aid agency spent $21 million for improving voter turnout in India, $29 million for strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh, and $29 million for enhancing fiscal federalism in Nepal.
“Would love to find out who received the US$21 million spent to improve 'voter turnout in India' and the US$29 million to 'strengthening political landscape in Bangladesh'; not to mention the US$29 million spent to improve 'fiscal federalism' in Nepal,” said the economist, who is also a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council.
Musk, who has accused USAID of being a "criminal organization", has launched a sweeping effort to streamline government spending, with USAID as a primary target. Backed by US President Donald Trump, Musk's department aims to cut billions in foreign aid, which they argue has often been misused for dubious projects.
This move is part of Trump’s broader effort to overhaul USAID. On January 20, his first day back in office, President Trump imposed a 90-day freeze on all foreign assistance, leading to mass layoffs and the suspension of thousands of global aid programs. USAID has been mired in controversy for years.
One of the most shocking revelations was its funding of the Pakistan-based Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a front for the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans. Despite being banned by the US in 2010, FIF continued receiving USAID funds. The US State Department described FIF as “essentially Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) with a new name designed to evade scrutiny and sanctions.”
“The FIF is a Pakistan-based organization closely connected to the banned terrorist group LeT and its humanitarian front Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD),” a US State Department document stated, linking the group directly to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The LeT and its front Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), both designated terror organisations by India and the US, have conducted terror attacks and promoted terrorism in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier this month, BJP's Nishikant Dubey demanded that the government probe organisations funded by USAID in India, alleging that most such outfits worked to create unrest in the country and had links with the Congress party. Dubey claimed the USAID funded organisations carried out protests against the Agniveer scheme, backed caste census, and supported naxalism in the country.