Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with the heads of all Indian embassies and high commissions across the world on Monday evening to discuss responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, the prime minister advised the heads of missions to suitably publicise the newly-established PM-CARES fund to mobilise donations from abroad.
India has not accepted aid from other nations for a decade and a half. During the tsunami of December 2004, then Manmohan Singh government had made it clear that India did not need aid, though help in rescue operations was welcome. India, instead, is slowly becoming the first response to a crisis in its neighbourhood and extends rescue relief and capacity building as well as aid.
India has already sent Rapid Response Teams to the Maldives and Nepal, to help them set up describing, testing and quarantine facilities for the COVID-19 outbreak. India also sent an aircraft load of medicines and medical supplies to China at the height of its Wuhan crisis phase.
India, however, does accept contributions from PIOs, NRIs and international organisations to the prime minister's and chief minister's relief funds.
China had sent a batch of medical supplies to the Indian Red Cross on March 28. The donation was made by Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation.
While urging the diplomats to take care of their and their families' health, the prime minister called on the envoys to reach out to those Indians stuck abroad due to the uncertain international travel restrictions, help boost their morale and address their problems arising out of the unplanned stay with the host governments.
He told them "to stay alert and identify in their countries of accreditation, best practices, innovations, scientific breakthroughs and sources to procure medical equipment, for India’s fight against COVID-19."
"Since this crisis also impacts upon the economy, PM advised Heads of Mission to also focus on ensuring that commerce in essential supplies, logistics chains, remittances and so on are unaffected, through their coordination with foreign partners and to continue to pay close attention to the evolving international political and economic situation, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement added.
Ten mission heads—from Beijing, Washington DC, Tehran, Rome, Berlin, Kathmandu, Abu Dhabi, Kabul, Male and Seoul—offered their perspectives to the prime minister and the rest of the audience.
The mission heads discussed the efforts to help Indians stranded overseas, as well as the experiences of other nations in dealing with the pandemic. Those from the neighbourhood underlined measures to assist the national responses of those countries, using the special fund created at India’s initiative for SAARC countries to combat COVID-19. India has contributed ten million USD to the fund that was created after the virtual summit of SAARC heads on March 15.