High Commission of Canada to India Canada's Representation Abroad

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) does not maintain a bilateral (government to government) program in India.

Between 1966 and 1984, the Government of Canada extended several loans to the Government of India. India has regularly met its repayment commitments and, in 2003–2004, its Government chose to pre-pay the remaining $429 million it had in loans from Canada. Because of this repayment, the Canadian official development assistance to India for 2003–2004 was negative ($-352.09 million), even though India still benefits from several programs.

India, like all other countries and territories eligible for Canadian development assistance, can benefit from various programs, such as:

• geographic and multilateral programs or the International Humanitarian Assistance Program (India is the country that receives the most from the Canadian investment in multilateral institutions and programs). CIDA also implemented initiatives in this country after the tsunami and the earthquake in South Asia;

• other programs that allow institutions, associations, Canadian and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and, Canadian private sector enterprises to receive funding from CIDA to execute projects worldwide (a total of $14 million is allocated annually to hundreds of Canadian NGOs working in India); and

• the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives—a responsive fund aimed at organizations that focus on promoting human rights and good governance—managed by the Canadian High Commission (New Delhi).