US provides additional $41m Covid-19 assistance to India

THE US on Monday (28) has announced an additional $41 million assistance to India to strengthen the country's preparedness for future health emergencies, taking the total aid to more than $200m.

“India came to the assistance of the US during this country's time of need, and now the United States stands with the people of India as they continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the US Agency for International Development in a statement.

The aid will support access to Covid-19 testing, pandemic-related mental health services, timely referrals to medical services, and access to healthcare in remote areas.

The agency will continue to partner with India to strengthen healthcare supply chains and electronic health information systems, support its vaccination efforts, and mobilize and coordinate private sector relief, it said.

The US is providing significant emergency assistance to the hardest-hit countries in South Asia, including India and Nepal, by allocating more than $300m under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which President Joe Biden had signed on March 11.

US-India Chambers of Commerce Foundation has raised more than $1.2 million for coronavirus-related efforts in India.

India reported 37,566 new Covid-19 infections over the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Tuesday (29), taking the South Asian nation's tally to 30.31 million, with a death toll of 397,637.

Coronavirus-related deaths rose by 907 overnight.

Calls for more help

Top lawmakers in the US urged the Biden administration to help facilitate assistance for Covid-hit India.

Senior American lawmakers on Monday afternoon took up the floor of the US House of Representatives in support of the House Resolution that urges the Biden administration to facilitate private, in-kind medical supply donations to India.

They also sought to deliver additional, urgently needed medical supplies, including oxygen generator plants and a cryogenic oxygen tanker and containers.

Introduced by Congressmen Brad Sherman and Steve Chabot, co-chairs of the India Caucus, the bipartisan resolution stands with the people of India as they collectively work to stem the spread of Covid-19 throughout the country.

“I rise in support of H Res 402 urging the administration to facilitate assistance in response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 in India. This resolution is an excellent measure that solidifies this body's already strong, bipartisan support for the people of India as they recover from this most recent wave of Covid-19 infections,” said Congressman Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“We now see Covid-19 cases starting to come down. But we cannot let our guard down. We must do more to prepare for a potential new wave of infections. It's important to recognise that none of us will be safe until all of us are safe."

Earlier this year, the India Caucus had sent a bipartisan request to the president requesting that the US increase its assistance to India, particularly focusing on the raw materials necessary to manufacture vaccines and oxygen concentration equipment.