Key Points:
- India now is ready to procure medicines and oxygen related equipments from CHINA, making this a ‘No Conceptual Problem’.
- Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, “We have given assistance; we are getting assistance. It shows an interdependent world. It shows a world that is working with each other.”
- 16 years ago, then PM Manmohan Singh famously said, “We feel that we can cope up with the situation on our own and we will take their help if needed,” and now the policy seems shifted.
For the first time in 16 years, India has started accepting aid, gifts and donations from foreign countries as India is in an extremely unfortunate situation where there is no Medical Oxygen available, neither drugs or related equipments are at hand.
What makes us term this as a Policy Shift? 2 major reasons:
1 . India now I ready to procure medicines and oxygen related equipments from CHINA, making this a ‘No Conceptual Problem’. Though it hasn’t made a decision about Pakistan, it it likely that India will accept its aid too.
2 . Central Government will not interfere in State Government as they are free to obtain these life-saving aids from other nations amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was the ex-PM Manmohan Singh Government that had decided to not obtain any aid from foreign entities, 16 years back, which happens to come to an end.
It was in the after effect of the December 2004 Tsunami that the then PM Manmohan Singh famously said, “We feel that we can cope up with the situation on our own and we will take their help if needed.” It was a “watershed moment” for India’s disaster aid policy.
Since then, India has helped itself out and refused foreign aid after the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, the Uttarakhand floods in 2013 and Kashmir floods in 2014.
On the assistance aid by foreign countries, the Indian Foreign Secretary, Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, “We have given assistance; we are getting assistance. It shows an interdependent world. It shows a world that is working with each other.”
A list of countries have promised critical items such as oxygen concentrators lengthened with the addition of Romania, Luxembourg and Sweden.
PM Modi spoke with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening regarding India-Russia cooperation on Sputnik-v vaccine among other issues
IFS Shringla said that the foreign aid will be used to bridge the gaps of the shortages in the medical industry’s needs
“In the next two to three months there will be significant increase in all round capacities in the country,’’ the foreign secretary said.
“These short term gaps in supplies will be filled by importing large quantities,’’ Shringla said.
