International Trade-Slow-Footed Reform

soft-loan affiliate, the international De- velopment Association. It has become almost a prerogative of India to lay a claim to 40 per cent of the annual appropriations from the? IDA. In terms of the data on per capita assistance going out to various developing countries, a perfectly valid case can be made for this order of appropriation for India. Even so, this has created some animosity towards India in the other poor countries, specially the ones from Africa. A notion has also gained currency that while on record India is on the forefront of efforts at establishing the solidarity of the poorer nations against the hegemony of the rich countries in the battle over economic issues, her bureaucrats are in the habit of striking a deal after hours with the World Bank, the IMF and the OECD countries so as to obtain a lion's share of the aid funds. Now that Vietnam is a member of the Bank, its government is likely to lay a claim to .both the reconstruction and development credit allocable by the Bank proper and the concessional credit which the IDA disburses. Vietnam's share, particularly of the IDA funds, can be insured only if there is a reduction in the appropriations to India, In this matter, there are more than one reason why it would be morally as well as strategically a mistake on the part of the government of India to stand in the way of Vietnam.