New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday proposed to create an emergency coronavirus fund while stating that India can begin with an initial offer of 10 million USD for this fund during a video conference with SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) members. He added that it should be based on voluntary contributions from all of us.
PM Modi added that India has formed an Integrated Disease Surveillance Portal to better trace possible virus carriers and the people they contacted. India could share this Disease Surveillance software with SAARC partners, and training on using this, he said.
“We are assembling a Rapid Response Team of doctors and specialists in India, along with testing kits and other equipment. They will be on stand-by, to be placed at your disposal, if required,” PM Modi said during his video conference as quoted by news agency ANI.
“Looking ahead, we could create a common research platform, to coordinate research on controlling epidemic diseases within our South Asian region. The Indian Council of Medical Research can offer help coordinating such an exercise,” ANI quoted him as saying.
During his video conference, PM Modi also briefed the SAARC member countries about India's experience of combating the spread of COVID-19.
"Prepare, but don't panic has been our guiding mantra," he said during the video conference, adding, "The step-by-step approach has helped avoid panic. We have made special efforts to reach out to vulnerable groups."
Modi said that the country has developed protocols for each stage of managing the pandemic.
"We also responded to the call of our people abroad and evacuated nearly 1,400 Indians from different countries," he told ANI.
Underlining the concern of other countries for their citizens in India, Modi said that the foreign ambassadors are being updated about the situation in the country on a regular basis.
(with ANI inputs)