Delhi given large part of foreign aid: Data
NEW DELHI: The national capital received a large part of the Covid-19-related aid donated by foreign countries in an otherwise equitable distribution of relief goods, according to government data. The collection and distribution of such materials till May 7 also showcases a fast delivery system as almost all items have been already earmarked and disbursed.
More than 14 nations have so far sent aid to India, and Delhi received materials from nearly all these countries.
The national capital got at least 1,432 out of the 2,933 oxygen concentrators distributed so far. It also got eight out of 13 oxygen generation plants gifted to India, according to the data.
An empowered committee headed by NITI CEO Amitabh Kant handles the distribution of material aid received from abroad.
Kant said: “We have built the best foreign aid delivery system on ground. Everything is online. Process is digital. There are no delay. Everything has been transported or has been delivered for installation.”
The delivery of a large number of oxygen-related equipment to Delhi underlines the shortage of medical grade oxygen in the national capital. Patients have died in Delhi hospitals amid the oxygen shortage and courts took cognisance of the oxygen crisis.
The national capital also got 1,040 Bi pap/C pap, 334 ventilators, 687 oxygen cylinders, 24,200 gowns, 978,000 masks and 25,586 shots of remdesivir from different nations.
These allotments include those to the state, hospitals such as AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lady Hardinge and Ram Manohar Lohia, the DRDO’s facility and other Delhi-based institutions.
“The bulk of the foreign aid has been given to the AIIMS in Delhi and elsewhere. There is a reason for this. AIIMS are also in the states and they are the key regional centres for tackling Covid. The locals go there,” said Kant.
Foreign relief materials have been also disbursed to Maharashtra, another state with high Covid-19 cases. The government data shows that AIIMS Nagpur got 60 oxygen concentrators gifted by Mauritius, while the state got more than 24,000 remdesivir doses and 150 oxygen concentrators donated by USAID, among other things.
Delhi received 160 pulse oximeters, 225 bedside monitors, more than 87,000 favipiravir, 70,300 antigen kits and 15,000 coveralls, among other things.
The government data shows that between May 6 and 7, only oxygen materials such as concentrators or plants and ventilators were distributed to states.
India started receiving foreign aid from April 27.
The distribution is based on a methodology to ensure their optimal use, primarily to the states with high caseloads and regional medical hubs, according to a top government official directly involved in channelling this aid.