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First of 50 ventilators donated by US to India to arrive soon

WION
New DelhiWritten By: Sidhant SibalUpdated: May 20, 2020, 05:28 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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While New Delhi has been sending Hydroxychloroquine to Washington, USAID has announced $5.9 million in funding to combat COVID-19 in India.

The first of the 50 ventilators, out of 200 being donated by the United States will be arriving soon. 

US President Donald Trump in a tweet on May 16 had said: "I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. We stand with India and @narendramodi during this pandemic. We’re also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy!"

Both India and US have been helping out each other amid the COVID-19 crisis. While New Delhi has been sending Hydroxychloroquine to Washington, USAID has announced $5.9 million in funding to combat COVID-19 in India.

"As President Trump recently announced, the US government is planning to donate ventilators to India – another example of our strong partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic", USAID Acting Director Ramona El Hamzaoui said.

New Delhi-Washington partnership has also been expanded to wider Indo-Pacific region. 

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had engaged with his counterparts from the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Vietnam in weekly telephonic conversations between March 20 and May 15 to share ideas and best practices.

The practice of weekly tele conversations was initiated by US deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun.