PremiumTokyo said it was extending an emergency grant of approximately $ 14.8 million to India in response to the current surge of covid-19 infections while Nairobi stated it was donating 12 tonnes of food products as part of its assistance to India to fight the covid-19 pandemic
NEW DELHI: Japan and Kenya on Friday announced their assistance to India’s ongoing fight against a fierce second wave of covid-19 infections.
Tokyo said it was extending an emergency grant of approximately $ 14.8 million to India in response to the current surge of covid-19 infections while Nairobi stated it was donating 12 tonnes of food products as part of its assistance to India to fight the covid-19 pandemic.
“Through the assistance announced today (Friday), the additional 1,000 ventilators and 2,000 oxygen concentrators will be provided to India through UNOPS as a part of the assistance of up to $ 50 million announced on 5 May, the Japanese embassy said in a statement. In total, Japan has provided 1,800 ventilators and 2,800 oxygen concentrators to India “through a series of recent Japanese assistance," the statement added.
Meanwhile, Kenya on its part has sent 12 tonnes of tea, coffee and groundnut produced locally to the Indian Red Cross Society, the statement said adding that the packets will be distributed across Maharashtra with food aid.
"The Government of Kenya wishes to stand in solidarity with the people and Government of India during this time of the covid-19 pandemic by donating consumable food stuffs," Willy Bett, high commissioner of the African country to to India, was quoted as saying in the statement.
Bett said the donation is directed to the frontline care givers who continue to work long hours to save lives.
Indian Red Cross Society Vice-Chairman Homi Khusrokhan, based in Maharashtra said the donation symbolised “the empathy that the people of Kenya have for the people of India" which was re-assuring.
About 40 countries had pledged support and assistance to India which is now battling a fierce second wave of covid019 infections. Oxygen generation plants, oxygen cylinders, drugs like remdesivir, tocilizumab and amphotericin-b are some of the things that India has been urgently sourcing from abroad.
