External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that her ministry's economic diplomacy attracted $209. 83 billion for India's flagship development programmes.
"Diplomacy for development was never there in our foreign policy, " Sushma Swaraj said while addressing her annual press conference here.
"We not only adopted this but took on our shoulder the responsibility of all our Prime Minister's flagship programmes - Clean India, Skill India, Digital India, Start - up India, Smart Cities - and are working with those countries which have not only the necessary techniques in the respective areas but can also contribute funds for these, " she stated.
"Today, I am happy to inform you that from May 2014 to February 2018, funds worth $209. 83 billion have come to this country. "
She also said that the External Affairs Ministry also created two new divisions for this - Department of Economic Diplomacy and Department of States - and merged both of them.
"This is because these funds will at the end only go to our states, " she said.
"So there can be a joint secretary who can maintain ties with the states as well as look after economic diplomacy. "
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