Days after the American President Donald Trump announced that the United States will be donating ventilators to India to support its fight against the menace of coronavirus, highlighting the close cooperation between the two countries to defeat the “invisible enemy”, the first tranche of 50 ventilators are being sent to India from the United States.
Contrary to the raging speculations that a cost element is attached to the donation of ventilators by the United States, the Director of the United Staes for International Development (USAID), the organisation overlooking the donation of ventilators to India, clarified that the ventilators as promised by the US President are a part of the donation and no cost is going to be charged from the recipient.
#BREAKING – We are sending 50 of 200 ventilators to India in the first tranche: US.
— CNNNews18 (@CNNnews18) May 19, 2020
The ventilators to India are part of the donation, no cost is involved: USAID Director.@SiddiquiMaha with details.#IndiaFightsCOVID19 #TotalLockdown #StayHome pic.twitter.com/uOUvnLkFWB
Ramona El Hamzaoui, acting director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said, “this is a donation. The US government plans to donate 200 ventilators to India, and we expect the first tranche of 50 to arrive soon”.
Liberals liberally shared unfounded rumours
Shortly after US President Donald Trump promised to donate ventilators to India, some media houses reported that actually the ventilators are not being donated to India, as they will cost $2.6 million for India. Quoting unnamed officials, the reports said that “each of these mobile ventilators is estimated to cost $ 13,000 (Rs 9.6 lakh at current exchange rates) without accounting for the transportation costs. In all, the ventilators will cost about $ 2.6 million (or Rs 192 million) plus freight charges”.
Soon several left-liberal Indians, who harbour pathological hatred for PM Modi and couldn’t stand the strengthening bond between the two countries, fell over themselves to widely promulgate the unverified reports that the ventilators provided by the United States will come with an exorbitant price tag. From casting aspersions over India’s wisdom of buying ventilators from the United States to mocking the Modi-Trump personal bond, liberals of all hues used the rumours as a premise to unleash their hatred against PM Modi.
Former NDTV journalist Maya Mirchandani, who now hosts a video blog on left-wing propaganda site The Wire, posted a tweet expressing surprise over the price tag being attached to the donations given by the United States. Raising doubts over the Indian government’s economic prudence, Mirchandani wondered as to why the Centre has agreed for an exorbitant trade deal when the country is producing a large number of ventilators.
Didn’t realise gifts came with $2.6 million price tags. Trump had announced donation of 200 ventilators to India as gesture of friendship, now US sends a bill ? This, even though India is making thousands of its own ventilators already. What’s going on? https://t.co/WYzE4mqeFP
— Maya Mirchandani (@maya206) May 18, 2020
However, Ms Mirchandani later issued a clarification saying that the consignment of ventilators from the US is a part of donation and India will not have to pay for the critical medical equipment as stated earlier.
USAID is donating these ventilators it seems, @suhasinih reporting here- https://t.co/ZqaAhbirEj https://t.co/T3eiEUkfhq
— Maya Mirchandani (@maya206) May 18, 2020
Habitual fake news peddler Ashok Swain, who is a glutton for perpetually having egg on his face, jumped the gun to criticise India’s ties with the United States. Quoting the Hindustan Times article which claimed that India may have to pay $2.6 million for the ventilators, Swain took a swipe at PM Modi by saying that India spent $12 million on US President’s 3-hour visit to India and yet the American President is referring to it as ‘donation’.
For Trump’s 3hrs visit to Modi’s Gujarat for ‘Namaste Trump’ rally India had spent $12 Million! Still, Trump is saying he ‘Donates’ ventilators! https://t.co/T6rQJgF6dk
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) May 16, 2020
The official Telangana Congress Twitter handle also actively partook in fanning rumours about the supposed trade deal between India and the United States for procuring ventilators. It criticised PM Modi for apparently not standing up to the American President Donald Trump and paying money for the donations.
Trump tweeted his decision to donate ventilators to india to underline close relations b/w the two countries.
— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) May 17, 2020
How is it a donation if we have to pay for it ?
Just like hydroxychloroquine, Modi will pay for ventilators because he can’t stand up to Trump?
https://t.co/yfVgghypoL https://t.co/8afqrf1zXP
Believing the unverified news about India made to pay for the ventilators gifted by the United States, Congress MLA Priyank Kharge took to Twitter to deride PM Modi by tweeting “there are no free lunches”.
I thought these ventilators were a gift from PM’s closest friend. Guess, there are “no free lunches” after all.
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) May 18, 2020
Trump’s 200 ventilators for India cost $2.6 million, reaching in 3 weeks – india news – Hindustan Times https://t.co/Vxai4qncgS
