Foreign aid allocation 100% transparent, no delays: Kant | India News – Times of India

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US aircraft with consignments carrying 545 oxygen concentrators arrives in Delhi (ANI)

NEW DELHI: The Centre is following a transparent system for allocating all foreign aid being received to combat the surge in Covid-19 cases and all items received up to May 5 have been allocated and dispatched, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Thursday.
So far, the government has received 3,682 oxygen concentrators and cylinders, 13 oxygen generation plants, 2,403 ventilators, BiPap units and more than 2.8 lakh Remdesivir vials from various countries. All items received up to May 5 have been allocated and dispatched to states and institutions following the health ministry’s standard operating procedures which are initially aimed to aid states and institutions with high caseloads. According to government data, so far, 38 institutions in 31 states and Union Territories have received the items.
“We are following 100% transparency on all foreign aid. There is not a minute’s delay in allocating the relief material and moving them to their destinations,” Kant told TOI, rebutting criticism about delays in getting the foreign aid to states and UTs grappling with the deadly surge in Covid-19 cases.
Several countries from around the world have mounted a massive relief operation to provide critical equipment and drugs to help India in its fight against the deadly virus which has claimed over 2 lakh lives.
Kant said the goods were being moved through flights and container trains and were swiftly dispatched to their destinations. Control rooms have been set up by the health ministry and the Niti Aayog to track the movement. Niti Aayog has set up a portal (http://covaid.niti.gov.in) to enable private sector donors to track the movement up to the end beneficiaries. “This will help individuals and organisations to do end-to-end tracking till the ultimate beneficiary,” Kant said, adding that the control room was functional 24×7 to facilitate the movement of aid material from the private sector.
Several agencies such as the Indian Red Cross Society are working round the clock in coordination with the health ministry to ensure swift movement of foreign aid. Cargo clearance and deliveries are facilitated without delay in coordination with various agencies.
Kant also said a press statement would be issued daily giving details about the items received and allocated to states, a measure which will add to the transparency over the entire process. On May 5, the Centre received 1,056 ventilators, BiPaP/CPAP units, 43 oxygen cylinders from Australia, 40,300 RDK, 1.56 lakh vials of Remdesivir, PPE kits and other items from the US and two liquid oxygen containers from Bahrain.
The empowered group headed by Kant met on Thursday to discuss logistical issues and ensure faster distribution of the material received from foreign countries. There was a suggestion that the relief material be sent directly to southern and western states and the material could land at Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai airports.
The health ministry said the distribution plans were already in place by the time it landed in India, according to an official statement.

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