Covid-19 ridden Maldives and Bhutan two SAARC members have made requests from India and Sri Lanka to provide them with essential food stocks as humanitarian assistance at this time of difficulty.
Accordingly Bhutan has conveyed their urgent need of 14,000 metric tons from India while Maldives has requested Sri Lanka to supply them with rice and wheat flour to maintain their food security during the Covid -19 crisis period.
This was disclosed by SAARC Secretary General. Esala Ruwan Weerakoon outlining the measures taken to tackle food shortage in the South Asian region.
Maldives had informed Sri Lanka that they need 2, 70,000 50 kilogram bags of rice 1, 80,000 50 kilogram bags of wheat flour as soon as possible.
Maldives and Bhutan are facing severe difficulties due to food shortage arising out of Covid-19 crisis, he revealed.
SAARC Food Bank is now ready in supply of food grains in the region to achieve the goal of regional food security as it is home to around 1/4th of the world population.
He said that all members of the SAARC Food Bank can mutually work out the modalities for operationalising the Bank with the support of SAARC Secretariat at this time of Covid-19 crisis.
The necessary food supplies will be arranged through the Food Bank for the countries in need in the region.
India , has supplied various medical supplies, testing equipment and sanitisers among other items to Maldives Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
. The supplies were coordinated by respective Indian Embassies to Bhutan and Maldives and it has already been dispatched and requests from other SAARC countries are under various stages of progress
While in Maldives India supplied 317 cartons weighing over 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines were supplied, a Rapid Response Team with testing equipment will be sent to Nepal.
India has made medical supply to Bhutan consisting of Surgical Masks; Shoe covers Hand Disinfectant/ Hand Sanitizers, Digital Thermometers, Forehead sensors, Disposable Gloves etc. .
(LI)