Singapore: Indian Navy's INS Airavat sets sail for home on Wednesday from Changi Naval Base here with COVID emergency relief material, including 3,650 oxygen cylinders of varying capacities and concentrators, the Indian High Commission here said.
The shipment also consists of 8 ISO Cryogenic Oxygen tanks which are a part of separate commercial agreements between Tata Group, ITC and Linde Gas Ltd.
The warship arrived here on May 2 from Vizag as part of Operation Samudra Setu 2, initiated by the Indian Navy to aid in the transportation of medical oxygen and other supplies from other countries.
This consignment is the result of efforts and contributions from the IIT Alumni Association in Singapore; Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), Adani Global, Wilhelmsen Ships Services, Dupont Sustainable Solutions, Global Indian International School of Singapore, DBS Bank, SEA Group, Wilmar International and Galaxy Container Services Pte Ltd, the High Commission of India said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
The High Commission appreciated the tremendous efforts of the Indian Community members and well-wishers of India in Singapore for mobilising essential relief assistance for COVID-19 mitigation efforts in India.
"The High Commission of India continues its efforts for timely and seamless coordination between all Indian and Singaporean agencies for necessary clearances," it said.
N440K Covid variant not new, diminishing in India: CSIR
"We also thank the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their role in facilitating the transportation," said the High Commission in the post.
The relief efforts are set to continue over the next few days as a second naval ship from the Indian Navy will be arriving in Singapore. Airlifts of tanks are also being scheduled over the next week, it said.
Meanwhile, Adani Global Pte Ltd has partnered with the SICCI and the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) to jointly raise financial and logistics support to help India alleviate the immense pressure on its health services.
This is in the light of the unprecedented impact that the COVID-19 outbreak is having in India and the multiple crises that it has engendered, said Adani Global which has donated 300 oxygen cylinders to the Indian Red Cross as a contribution to India's fight against COVID-19.
This is the first in a series of support initiatives that Adani Global Pte Ltd is working with SICCI and SRC.
SICCI Chairman Dr. T Chandroo, said, We want to thank Adani Global Pte Ltd for their unwavering support and commitment to partner with SICCI and the Singapore Red Cross in doing their part as a Singapore registered company to help in the COVID-19 relief effort for India. They have been in constant discussion with SICCI to source potential suppliers from Singapore to fund the purchases of respironics equipment.
Around 280 jail inmates to be released on parole due to COVID from Meerut jail
Jeyakumar Janakaraj, Country Head, Adani Global, said, Adani Global Pte Ltd stands together with the Singapore corporate community to assist in the humanitarian crisis in India. We are happy to partner with SICCI and Singapore Red Cross as part of our social corporate responsibility to provide oxygen to help reduce the strain on healthcare providers in India and will continue to assist in whatever way possible.
Benjamin William, Secretary-General and CEO, Singapore Red Cross, said that in line with the International Red Cross movement's mission of protecting the vulnerable, Singapore Red Cross is aiding this mission for a successful hand-over to Indian Red Cross to help India combat the COVID19 pandemic.
Separately, TiE Singapore has launched a USD 1 million fundraiser, Mission India that began on April 30, to help India ramp up and accelerate its fight against COVID-19.
"Help us spread the word through your friends, families, colleagues and alumni so that we can collect the funds. All proceeds are funnelled through our credible partners to procure and deliver oxygen concentrators and other medical equipment to hospitals across multiple cities in India," said TiE Singapore President Amit Gupta.
A record 3,780 fresh COVID-19 fatalities were registered in a single day in India taking the death toll to 2,26,188, while 3,82,315 new coronavirus infections were recorded, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
PTI
