India 'Incredibly Important' Partner To United States In Region And Globally: White House

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US had adopted a number of initiatives to assist India in battling with the COVID-19 outbreak.

(Representative Image/Getty)

Washington D.C: The US considers India to be an extremely important partner in the region and worldwide, according to the White House, which emphasises that the two countries collaborate on a wide range of issues including economics, strategy, and security.

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US had adopted a number of initiatives to assist India in battling with the COVID-19 outbreak.

As India was in the initial stages of handling an increase in the coronavirus cases, the United States adopted several measures to support and guide them, said Psaki in response to a question during a daily news conference. She also added that the US will continue to do so in the future. 

With almost 3,00,000 new cases per day in April and May, India was fighting a hard battle against the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s health infrastructure was finding it hard to take the pressure of the rising demand of medical oxygen and beds in hospitals. Cases were on a daily rise, when in mid-May, India recorded a daily high of 4,12,262 new infections. 

It was then that US President Joe Biden declared a Covid-19 help of USD 100 million to India. 

More than USD 1.2 million in support of coronavirus research in India has been raised by the US-India Chambers of Commerce Foundation. According to a press statement issued on June 3, the foundation has dispatched or is on route approximately 120 ventilators and over 1,000 oxygen concentrators thanks to record-breaking funding.

India will be a major beneficiary in the US administration’s commitment of giving 25 million COVID-19 doses 2 countries around the world. Both the identified groups -direct supply to neighbors and partner countries, and the Covavax initiative - include India.

US Vice President Kamala Harris called Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally on June 4 to notify him of the administration's plan.