Amidst the second wave of coronavirus cases in India, CEOs of about 40 top American companies have joined hands to create a global task force to mobilise resources to help India fight the battle against COVID-19.
A collective initiative of the US-India Business Council of the US Chambers of Commerce and the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum and Business Roundtable, the task force during its meeting on Monday committed to get 20,000 oxygen concentrators to India in the next few weeks, Deloitte CEO Puneet Renjen told PTI. The new US public-private partnership to provide India critical medical supplies, vaccines, oxygen and other life-saving assistance amid an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases is called the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response: Mobilizing for India. The first-of-its-kind country-specific global task force to address a public health crisis in another country was addressed by US Secretary of State Tony Blinken. The conversation showed how the United States and India can leverage the expertise and capabilities of the US private sector towards solutions for India”s COVID-19 crisis, Blinken said in a tweet.
“A number of American companies have come together over the weekend. We are focused on doing our very best to help in any way that we possibly can. As the prime minister said, we were very confident, our spirits were up after successfully tackling the first wave, but this storm has shaken the nation. It is up to us to help in any way possible,” Renjen said in response to a question.
