The High Commission of India on Saturday announced the arrival of the country’s first batch of emergency staple provisions to the Maldives.
For the first shipment, India sent 933 tones of rice and 500 tonnes of sugar from the Tuticorin Port, Thoothukudi.
According to the High Commission, an additional shipment carrying 1500 tonnes of rice and 500 tonnes of sugar had departed India.
Moreover, in an effort to sustain construction activities, 5000 MT of cement is set to be shipped into the Maldives as well.
Speaking to The Edition, the Indian High Commission asserted that, “India remains committed to ensuring essential supplies to the Maldives at this difficult time”.
Maldivian public recently raised concerns over the provision of staple foods in the wake of the announcement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that India will go under “total lockdown” for 21 days to combat the spread of COVID-19.
However, the Indian High Commission confirmed that India’s intention to maintain essential supplies to the country, “in the spirit of our longstanding bilateral partnership”, adding that”the people and government of India will continue to stand by the people and government of Maldives”.
The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 597,000 and claimed over 27,000 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 133,000 have recovered.
Currently, there are 16 positive cases from the Maldives, out of which one case is a local and all the others are tourists and foreign resort staff. So far, out of the positive cases, 11 people have recovered.
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Source URL: Google News
