UK aid to India under scrutiny

The United Kingdom government will today outline plans which will stop direct development aid to 16 countries and a freeze in the level of assistance being provided to India. Some nations, such as Bangladesh, Nigeria and Pakistan will get more money, which the coalition says will be "better focused" on the poorest people.

Opposition Labour has charged that too much of the UK's aid budget is misspent.

Government plans will be unveiled to MPs by International Development secretary Andrew Mitchell.

Unlike other departments, the overall £7.8bn budget of Mitchell's department's has remained unaffected by the government's spending cuts programme.

The UK is expected to stop direct aid to 16 countries, including Russia, China, Vietnam, Serbia and Iraq. Some, such as Vietnam and Bosnia, are seen to have "graduated" out of poverty.

Others recipients, it is acknowledged, are adequately served by United Nations agencies.