POWER LIST SALUTE TO COVID HEROES
Sunak tops annual ranking of most influential Asians in the UK
PANDEMIC heroes who went above and beyond their call of duty have been honoured in a special edition of the GG2 Power List, which ranks the 101 most influential Asians in Britain.
Thirty Asian doctors, nurses and researchers are recognised in a ‘Heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic’ feature, celebrating their bravery over the past 18 months.
Commended for their “sheer bravery, selflessness, and dedication”, the list reflects the contribution of NHS staff across the country who risked their lives to help countless others.
The GG2 Power List also ranks a number of healthcare leaders including Dr Chaand Nagpaul, council chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) and Dr Nikita Kanani, the medical director of primary care at NHS England.
Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of GG2 and its sister title Eastern Eye, as well as the chair of judges said, “It’s been a unique 18 months for the UK, and those from our south Asian communities have been at the forefront, battling the pandemic.
“While south Asian cabinet ministers hold the highest offices in the land, they couldn’t have succeeded without the wealth of world-leading scientists, doctors and medical professionals.
“We know, and appreciate, how frontline NHS staff have made the ultimate sacrifice. This year, we pay tribute to their tremendous contribution to our nation.”
Topping the GG2 Power List this year is chancellor Rishi Sunak, who took charge of the Treasury in February last year, shortly before the coronavirus crisis began in March 2020.
Second on the list is Sajid Javid, who assumed office as the health secretary last month.
Home secretary Priti Patel, the country’s most powerful female Asian politician, is ranked third.
“This has been our hardest year to judge since our first GG2 Power List a decade ago,” Solanki said.
“We are blessed with real talent from our different communities. They each play a special role in helping the UK thrive.”
Sunak, Javid and Patel, who hold three of the four great offices of state, are members of the most diverse cabinet in British history.
Assistant commissioner for specialist operations Neil Basu; and Dr Nagpaul, one of the first medics to highlight the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on BAME communities, are fourth and fifth respectively.
London mayor Sadiq Khan, court of appeal judge Sir Rabinder Singh, actor Riz Ahmed, political advisor Munira Mirza and COP26 president Alok Sharma round off the list of the top 10 most powerful British Asians.
Published by the Asian Media Group (AMG), the GG2 Power List is a compilation of the 101 most influential south Asians in the UK. The full list was set to be unveiled on Wednesday (28).
This year’s list includes Asians from a variety of sectors, from entertainment and business to activism and sport. Five among the top 20 are women, while on the list as a whole, 28 are female.
INDIA has briefed Britain’s Foreign Office about the pandemic situation in the country and encouraged UK ministers to consider a review of the travel ban on visitors from the south Asian nation, its foreign minister Harsh Vardhan Shringla said last Saturday (24).
India remains on the UK’s ‘red list’ although Shringla said many big cities in the country are “practically Covid-free”.
“I briefed them [UK officials] on the Covid situation in India. I pointed out that France had cleared visitors from India without quarantine, if they are double vaccinated and have a negative test.
“The US has upgraded India in the travel scheme, (and I) encouraged the UK to do the same and they took note of it,” Shringla said, in response to a question on international travel.
“Mumbai, Delhi, big cities are practically free of Covid. But we can’t rest on that situation because we are constantly vigilant, telling our citizens to take precautions so that we don’t have a third wave,” he added.
Under current UK rules, India is on the travel red list which effectively bans visitors from the country. Returning citizens and residents are required to pay for and undergo a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine on entry to Britain.
On instances of the India-made Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine, Covishield, not being recognised by the European Union (EU), the foreign minister reiterated that AstraZeneca had applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on behalf of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in a letter dated May 14.
“It’s an Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured under a transfer of technology in India, so there can’t be any difference in product between that produced at the Serum Institute of India (SII) or anywhere else,” said Shringla.
The EU said they will leave it to individual member states to decide and 14 EU countries have already recognised Covishield. Two have also recognised Covaxin, the other vaccine being administered in India.
“We are now asking all countries to recognise our vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis, recognising the integrity of that process,” he said.
Shringla also reflected on the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India and welcomed the “critical support” from partner countries with essential supplies, including the UK.
“When I met my UK interlocutors, I thanked them for the level of spontaneous support we received in the form of oxygen plants, concentrators, cylinders.
“One of the first flights that came in was from the UK. It was a great morale booster, which lifted confidence at a time when things looked despondent, not for any other reason but the short period of time when there was a gap between demand and supply,” he said.
Shringla said India was now able to supply its excess liquid oxygen and lifesaving medication such as Remdesivir to neighbouring countries in need, including
Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand. “Wherever there is need, it is incumbent upon us as a member of the international community to support those needs,” he said.
Shringla, who arrived in the UK for a two-day visit last Friday (23) to take stock of the Roadmap 2030 towards closer UKIndia ties as agreed by prime ministers Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi, also shared plans for a reciprocal vaccine certification system to be unveiled by the Indian government soon to facilitate international travel.
He held meetings with senior UK government
officials, including Sir Philip Barton, the permanent under-secretary in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and FCDO minister for South Asia, Lord Tariq Ahmad.
On India’s vaccination drive, Shringla said 410 million doses of vaccines had been administered and production was being ramped up in the country to increase the rate of acceleration.
“Our effort is to ensure all eligible 950 million citizens in the country are vaccinated and we’ll attain a level of immunity that will make the impact of Covid-19 minimum,” he said.