US to unveil $300 million in Afghan aid --- KABUL: The United States will unveil $300 million on Monday in new aid initiatives for Afghanistan for the impoverished nation as the war economy winds down and global troops withdraw, a US official said. -- The programs are being rolled out by the US Agency for International Development. -- The first tranche of some $77 million aims to enhance trade and fiscal sustainability to support Afghanistan's accession to the World Trade Organization later this year. -- "Peer-reviewed articles suggest that if countries like Afghanistan make the regulatory reforms required to achieve WTO accession, they will typically see a net jump in GDP of 20 percent within the first five years," a State Department official told AFP, asking not to be named. -- The program will help support trade deals with Central Asian republics and India, and aid the government to boost its revenues through implementing such things as value added tax. -- A second, $92 million five-year program will help develop a more skilled workforce, partnering American universities with 10 Afghan universities. This program went into force on January 1. -- The third initiative worth some $120 million will support Afghanistan's agriculture sector, focusing especially on areas such as wheat and livestock, improving job opportunities and food security. -- "Among other things, this program is expected to eventually benefit 400,000 farmers from access to better technology and marketing and produce a 20 percent increase in yields for wheat and target crops," the official said. -- News of the programs come as Congress has conditioned further aid assistance to Afghanistan on the signing of a bilateral security deal to guarantee the presence of US troops after all combat forces pull out this year. - More, AFP, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-to-unveil-300-million-in-Afghan-aid/articleshow/30134197.cms