Prepare, don’t panic: Modi proposes Saarc virus fund
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday Saarc states should prepare, and not panic, in the face of the coronavirus outbreak as India unveiled plans, including a $10-million Covid-19 emergency fund, to help the region cope with the situation.
Addressing a video conference of leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) organised at his suggestion, Modi said India developed expertise and protocols that can be shared with members of the regional grouping.
“As we prepare to face this challenge, let me briefly share India’s experience of combating the spread of this virus so far. ‘Prepare, but don’t panic’ has been our guiding mantra,” he said. “We were careful to not underestimate the problem, but also to avoid knee-jerk reactions. We have tried to take proactive steps, including a graded response mechanism.”
Pakistan was the only one of the eight Saarc states that wasn’t represented by a head of government. Zafar Mirza, special adviser on health to Prime Min
ister Imran Khan, joined the conference and struck a discordant note when he raised the Kashmir issue in his concluding remarks.
Some leaders, such as Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, sought assistance and a common strategy for dealing with the fallout of the outbreak on their tourism industries and economies.
Solih said tourist arrivals were expected to fall by 35% and the Maldives was facing a $450million shortfall in foreign currency earnings.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering called for joint efforts to forge a strategy for Covid-19.