On Sunday, the United Kingdom (UK) will receive the shipment of 3 million packets of paracetamol from India to fight the Wuhan Coronavirus that has killed over 10,000 people in the country.
UK to shortly receive first batch of 3 million #paracetamol packets from India.
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) April 11, 2020
UK expresses gratitude to Indian govt for approving this “important shipment” after New Delhi lifts its export ban amid #CoronavirusPandemic.#Covid_19 #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/itN2LxmT2U
Jan Thompson, the acting British High Commissioner to India, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving the export of paracetamol to the United Kingdom. “Global cooperation is critical in the fight against COVID-19”, she reiterated. Thompson added that India and the UK have a track record of “working together” in tackling global challenges.
Moreover, Lord Tariq Ahmad, the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the UK government for the “important shipment” and vowed that the two countries will work in close partnership against the Wuhan Coronavirus.
UK 🇬🇧 and India 🇮🇳 continue to work in close partnership to respond to #COVID19 threat. I add my sincere thanks on behalf of the UK Government to India for approving this important shipment. https://t.co/cquOm8yGZD
— Lord (Tariq)Ahmad of Wimbledon (@tariqahmadbt) April 9, 2020
On Sunday, thousands of British nationals stranded in various parts of India such as Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, amidst the nationwide lockdown, will be ferried to their home country via charter flights. Ahmed informed that the UK Government was working in close association with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the States and Indian authorities in London to facilitate the repatriation of the Britons.
Earlier, the Ministry of Tourism had launched the ‘Stranded in India’ portal on March 31 to provide factually correct information to foreign tourists to ease their fears and confusion. The portal will also enable smooth evacuation of stranded tourists with the help of their respective governments. The Tourism Ministry assured, “The world is facing an unprecedented situation. We are with you in these difficult times. If you are a foreign traveller stranded anywhere in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we can help you get in touch with the concerned authorities.”
On Friday, the Indian Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed that it will export 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan and 40,000 tonnes of wheat to Lebanon as a part of its diplomatic deals. It is expected that India will produce 106 million tonnes of wheat in 2020 due to favourable weather conditions.
The Indian govt has stated that India will allow the export of hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol to some countries which are ‘badly affected’ with the coronavirus crisis. Particularly several countries want hydroxychloroquine, the drug used to treat malaria and arthritis, as it has shown promising results against the Wuhan coronavirus. Initially, India is exporting the drug to US, Spain, Germany, Bahrain, Brazil, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Seychelles, Mauritius and the Dominican Republic. The MEA has also stated that no speculation and politicisation of the issue should be made.
