government and the international community, commensurate with the truly vast need in the field.
New estimates of our Government now put the cost to India, of caring for the refugee, at the staggering total of $830,000,000 during the current fiscal year-a cost equal to the annual contribution of the aid consortium for India's economic development. Simple humanity demands that we and the international community must face the simple truth that this refugee burden cannot be borne by India alone.
To this end, I am introducing today a bill to authorize $400,000,000 to assist the International Refugee Relief Effort in India. This figure is consistent with the percentage of financial support we have traditionally given to many international agencies. It is similar, in fact, to the level of support we are currently giving as a member of the international development consortium for India.
To further explore the massive human tragedy in South Asia-and to document what our Government is now doing and what it is prepared to do in the future to help in this problem-I am announcing today that further hearings by the Subcommittee on Refugees will begin next week.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed at this point in the Record the text of the bill I introduced today.
S. 2568
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That section 302 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:
“(f) There is authorized to be appropriated to the President, for the fiscal year 1972, not to exceed $400,000,000 for use by the President in providing assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of Pakistani refugee who left Pakistan on or after March 25, 1971, and went to India”.
