New Delhi: As part of its neighbourhood first policy, six Indian Navy ships are on standby for assistance to neighbouring countries during the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. Top sources said that along with Navy ships, five medical teams are on standby for deployment in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan if the situation worsens.
On March 30, India had sent medical supplies to Nepal. According to sources, Dornier and Mi-17 were used to position medical load at Gorakhpur and the load was thereafter taken to Nepal by road.
In March, PM Narendra Modi had proposed a SAARC meet on the COVID crisis via video conference in which all SAARC heads participated barring the Pakistani PM Imran Khan who was represented at a junior level.
India had announced the formation of a COVID emergency fund with a contribution of $10 million in which all SAARC countries barring Pakistan has announced contribution. Sri Lanka contributed $ 5 million, Bangladesh contributed $ 1.5 million, Nepal $ 1 million, Afghanistan $ 1 million, Maldives $ 200,000 and Bhutan $ 100,000 taking the total amount in the COVID-19 Emergency Fund to USD 18.3 million. New Delhi also said, that its rapid response team are at disposal of any SAARC member country.
Since the SAARC meeting, health officials of countries have had video conferences and commerce ministry officials will soon meet via the same format.
As an early responder, India evacuated several South Asian nationals stranded in China’s Wuhan, which was the epicentre of COVID-19. India got back 23 Bangladeshi, 9 Maldivian from Wuhan and 2 Sri Lankans and 1 Nepali from quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess off the coast of Japan.
Source: Zee News