India under the Modi Government is back to seeking international aid which was stopped during the time of Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure as the Prime Minister. The gross mishandling of the economy and now the COVID19 pandemic by PM Narendra Modi has led to India getting economically weak.
The National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan expressed the United States’ sympathy for the people of India following the recent spike in the COVID-19 cases. During a telephone call with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, Sullivan affirmed that his country is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies to India. He added that the United States is deploying an expert team of public health advisors from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support and fast-track the mobilization of emergency resources available to India through the Global Fund.
On 18 May, the US government promised to send 200 ventilators to India as a gift from the US while the cost would be borne by USAID. USAID has so far spend about $20 million to aid India.
The U.S.’s assistance will include making raw materials for COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ immediately accessible and pursuing options to generate oxygen, said Jake Sullivan. The US had banned the exports of raw materials for Covshield vaccines.
On Sunday, the British Government announced that UK will send medical equipment to India. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who repeatedly cancelled his trips to India unlike PM Narendra Modi who went to Bangladesh trip amid India suffering from Coronavirus epidemic, has controlled the virus epidemic in the UK. Britain is recording the lowest number of daily coronavirus cases since early September.
“We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against COVID-19. “Vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus,” said Boris Johnson.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted “Today we have sent the first of several urgent deliveries of surplus medical equipment to our friends in India to help provide life-saving care for vulnerable Covid patients. No-one is safe until we are all safe.”
So far, the UK has sent nine airplane container loads include 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators. Further shipments of British medical supplies to India are expected.
“The heart-breaking scenes in India show once again how awful this terrible disease is,” said British Health Secretary Matt Hancock.