New Delhi: Foreign aid pours into India when the country is grappling with the second wave of Coronavirus. However, several doubts have been raised over its utilization as even after a week of delivery, it is unclear whether the states have received any of such relief material or not.
Following this, the Opposition has raised serious demands from the Central government to bring transparency into the matter. Leaders alleged that more than 300 tonnes of emergency Covid supplies are still stuck at the airports, waiting for custom clearances.
Reacting to the issue, Congress MP Manish Tewari said, "In the year 2004, when India was hit by a tsunami, our country made a decision that we won't take help from any other country and we will not accept any aid. In the year 2021, NDA Government, while facing a failure in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, decided to take help from foreign nations."
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He further alleged, "When other countries came forward and sent medical aid to India, even after more than a week, all that has been awaiting at airports and ports for customs clearance. At a time when people are dying, the government is unable to distribute the medical aid that has been received from foreign countries. There cannot be any such human tragedy and criminal negligence bigger than this."
Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress MP also tweeted, "Dear PMO India, Nation should not have been brought to such a pass where Foreign Aid had to be accepted. But Where has it all gone? Where are the 300 tonnes of emergency Covid-19 supplies that have landed in Delhi in last five days?"
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh stated, "These are legitimate concerns and questions. It is in the nation's interest that there be total transparency from the government on the matter of foreign aid."
On Monday, while addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, "On behalf of every Indian, we request and demand the government to make it public every single day, where this demand has come from and where is it going. You owe this to people. We request and demand Mr Modi to ensure there is transparency in the supply of aid we are receiving and where it is being sent."
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in a Tweet said, "We received at least 300 tonnes of international aid. PMO India isn’t telling us what has happened to it. How much life-saving material is stuck in storage due to bureaucratic drama? This is not incompetence, it is the complete lack of compassion for fellow citizens."
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He also said, "Many countries are sending India a lot of aid, it is meant for all Indians, not for PMO India alone, why don't we know how much material has come and gone where?"
As per the data, India has received 1.25 lakh Remdesivir vials from the USA, and 9,000 vials from Belgium on May 2. The US aid shipment containing one thousand oxygen cylinders was delivered at Delhi Airport. In addition to this, 28 tonnes, medical equipment including 8 large oxygen generators were received from France on May 2.
From Russia, 1.5 lakh Sputnik vaccines and 22 tonnes of medical supply that includes 20 oxygen production units, 75 ventilators and 200 thousand packets of medicines were received on May 1.
30 large oxygen concentrators India has received from Thailand.
8 cryogenic oxygen tanks and more than 250 oxygen cylinders were received from Singapore.
Romania sent a consignment containing 80 oxygen concentrators and 75 oxygen cylinders.
The UK has sent 485 oxygen concentrators and 200 ventilators. 700 units of oxygen concentrators and 365 ventilators arrived from Ireland on Friday.
120 ventilators arrived on Saturday from Germany and 200 large oxygen concentrators were received from Mauritius.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a statement addressing the issue, which stated, "A streamlined and systematic mechanism for allocation of the support supplies received by India has been put into place, for effective distribution of the medical and other relief and support material."
It further added, "The Indian Customs is sensitive to the need for availability of COVID related imports including Oxygen and Oxygen related equipment etc., and are working 24 x 7 to fast track and clear the goods on arrival and lead to expeditious clearance within hours."
The Ministry informed that 24 different categories of items, majorly BiPAP Machines, Oxygen Concentrators, Oxygen Cylinders, PSA Oxygen Plants, Pulse Oximeters, Drugs (Flaviparivir and Remdesivir), PPE (Coveralls, N-95 masks and gowns), numbering nearly 40 lakhs have been distributed to 38 institutions in different states.
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The States/UTs which have either received or where the equipment has been dispatched from are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, D&N Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
