Recently, Indian news outlets have been circulating the information: “As soon as Modi returned from America, Bangladesh’s grant of TK 251 crore was halted by Elon Musk.”
In other words, it is being claimed that only Bangladesh’s $29 million, or approximately ₹251 crore (Indian Rupees), funding has been stopped. Some Indian media outlets are crediting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this.
It is worth noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the U.S. for a two-day visit last Thursday (February 13) (News link).
See the news coverage in Indian media on this claim: TV9 Bangla (Facebook), Jago Bangla, Public Now TV (Facebook)
See posts about this claim from Indian X (formerly Twitter) accounts here (Archive).
Fact-Check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation revealed that the U.S. has not only stopped grants for Bangladesh but also canceled funding for various projects in India, Nepal, Cambodia, Serbia, and other countries.
A search using relevant keywords led to a report titled “The U.S. has canceled project funding in various countries, including Bangladesh and India” published on February 16 on Prothom Alo’s website. According to this report:
“The U.S. has canceled funding for various projects in countries like Bangladesh and India. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the U.S. announced this decision. They stated that the $29 million funding for the ‘Strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh’ project, aimed at stabilizing Bangladesh’s political situation, has been canceled.”
The DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) announced the funding cancellation through a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday night, February 16 (local time). The post stated: “The U.S. taxpayers’ money was going to be spent in the following projects, all of which have been canceled.” The post then listed the canceled projects, the countries and regions where they were being implemented, and the amounts of money involved.
According to information on the Democracy International website, the “Strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh (SPL)” project was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID).
Under this project, work was done to increase the capacity of political parties, strengthen relationships between political parties and voters, and reduce political violence in Bangladesh. According to the DOGE’s post on X, the U.S. government also decided to stop funding various projects in India and Nepal. In India, a $21 million voter turnout project was canceled. Multiple projects in Nepal were also canceled, totaling $39 million.
Other countries on this list include Mozambique, Cambodia, Serbia, Liberia, Mali, and Egypt. Additionally, two projects focused on South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa were also cut.
Upon further investigation of the Department of Government Efficiency’s X account, the post published on February 16. The post stated that the U.S. taxpayers’ money was being spent in the following areas, all of which have now been canceled. It listed several countries, the amounts of canceled grants, and the respective projects or fields.
Countries mentioned in the cancellation list include Mozambique, Cambodia, Serbia, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Liberia, Mali, and Egypt. Previously, different projects in these countries were funded at varying amounts, which have now been stopped. For Bangladesh, the canceled funding was $29 million, intended to strengthen its political situation. In India, a $21 million voter turnout project was canceled, while multiple projects in Nepal amounting to $39 million were also terminated.
Conclusion
The claim that the U.S. stopped funding only in Bangladesh is inaccurate. In reality, the U.S. canceled funding for various projects across multiple countries, including India, Nepal, and others. This broader context indicates that Bangladesh was not uniquely targeted in these funding decisions. Therefore, the news highlighting only Bangladesh is misleading.
