US committed to using every resource at its disposal to help India: Defence Secretary Austin

Washington, April 29

The United States is committed to using every resource at its disposal to support India’s frontline health-care workers in their battle against Covid, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said here.

The Department of Defence on Wednesday airlifted the first shipment of American aid to India from a military base in California. The flight is scheduled to land in India on Thursday.

Austin thanked various wings of his armed services for hustling to prepare the critical medical supplies.

“As I’ve said, we’re committed to using every resource at our disposal, within our authority, to support India’s frontline health-care workers,” he said in a tweet along with four pictures of the first shipment.

“Help is on the way. Our hearts are with our friends in India as they battle this terrible disease, and our first plane of emergency medical supplies is wheels down tomorrow,” said Emily Horne, spokesperson of the National Security Council of the White House.

Indian-American Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a Democratic Party leader from California, welcomed the timely announcement and shipment of health-care material to India by the Biden administration.

This includes raw materials for vaccines, therapeutic oxygen generators, ventilators and financial support to India to fight the coronavirus.

The White House on Wednesday announced that supplies worth more than USD100 million, including 1,100 oxygen cylinders, 1,700 oxygen concentrators and 15 million N95 masks would be sent to India in the coming days.

US government assistance flights would start arriving in India on Thursday and would continue into next week, it said. PTI