Jack Ma, Alibaba donate medical supplies to India

With the coronavirus pandemic starting to gain a foothold in India and the government calling for assistance, two Chinese charities have sent critical medical supplies to India, with more consignments are to follow in the coming days.The first batch of medical equipment sent by the Jack Ma and Alibaba foundations through the Indian Red Cross Society has arrived in New Delhi. “Ms Ma Jia, Minister of the Embassy of China received the items at Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 28. The rest of the consignment will reach India in the coming days,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.

India recorded a surge in coronavirus cases over the last few days, with the number of detected cases rising to more than 1100 including 32 deaths as on March 31, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.The government last week created the PM CARES, or the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, and urged citizens to donate freely to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak.

Several notable individuals have donated to the fund after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the initiative in his Maan Ki Baat radio broadcast. Those who have contributed include Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and Reliance Group Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Last week, the central government had ordered the states to extend all help to the stranded migrant workers who had set out on foot for their homes due to the lockdown, demonstrating the heightened concern and uncertainty facing these poorest sections of the society as a result of the CoVID-19 pandemic. Many of them had lost their jobs after the companies were asked to shut down as a preventive measure. The mass migration from the national capital last week prompted an upgraded response from the government with a slew of new orders.

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