India, Some Interesting $$ Facts

From India Facts of the Day:

India spends 2 percent of its GDP [Gross Domestic Product] treating diarrhea, according to TERI, one of the country's most prestigious scientific research institutes [...] Not one of the 35 largest cities in India has water service more than an hour or two a day-including the name-brand cities we've all heard of: Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi.

Now, here's what India spends on Defense:  2.8% of its GDP, or some $35 billion dollars.

Couple observations:

Given India's geographic location and its chronic disputes with neighbors China and Pakistan, maybe $35B is the right number for defense, I can't say.  But it boggles my mind to think that the diarrhea budget nearly equals that of the military.

Now, if the same ratio were true here in the U.S., our military budget would be quite minuscule (I guess that means I'm in favor or more diarrhea here...?). 

Also, I was going to make a point about how we ought to forgo military aid to India in favor of humanitarian aid to combat diarrhea...when I found out that India is NOT on our A list for military stuff: we give them only $1M (not billion) in military aid and only $132M in other economic aid (source = Census Bureau). 

I would have thought we supported India's military, big time.  Note that we do give India's neighbor Pakistan some $1.3 billion annually (2009 data).

This is kinda rambly and disconnected, but I am a stats geek to a certain extent and these data were shocking to me, to say the least.