<p>PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): India has considerably increased its contributions to key initiatives, including <a href="/en/afghanistan" class="glossify-link">Afghanistan</a>, says a US official.</p>
<p>India had become the fifth largest donor to development and reconstruction in Afghanistan under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the <a href="/en/usaid" class="glossify-link">USAID</a> administrator said.</p>
<p>Mark Green told lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday: "Under Modi, India has become the fifth largest donor to development and reconstruction in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Addressing an event convened by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Green said he had met partners from public and private sectors during his visits to India and Mexico.</p>
<p>USAID remained committed to taking to extending the reach and effectiveness of taxpayer resources, he was quoted as saying by ANI news agency.</p>
<p>"We are working closely with the Department of State to encourage donor nations and recipient countries themselves to increase their own contributions to the overall humanitarian and development effort," he said.</p>
<p>The US, being the largest single donor, provided nearly $34.5 billion in official development assistance (ODA) in 2016 almost one quarter of all ODA.</p>
<p>"Our leadership role as a donor is a point of pride. It is part of our national character - our readiness to stand with other countries and peoples when crisis strikes," he said.</p>
<p><a href="/en/pan" class="glossify-link">PAN</a> Monitor/mud</p>
