India’s need for Oxygen and Oxygen-Concentrators to help serious covid-patients has been observed well by several American companies, besides the US Government. To help India, CEOs of 40 top US Companies have come together to create the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response: Mobilizing for India.
Puneet Renjen, CEO, Deloitte shared to PTI that the Task Force has announced its commitment to get 20,000 oxygen concentrators to India in the next few weeks.
Renjen shared that the first one-thousand oxygen concentrators will arrive in the middle of this week, and by May 5, another 11,000 can be expected. Apart from Oxygen Concentrators, the Task Force is looking to provide Oxygen Cylinders with 10 litre and 45 litre capacity, and also provide other medical supplies.
This is 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. This new US Public-Private Partnership has been formed recently to help India receive crucial medical supplies, which the country is finding short because of this sudden explosion of the second wave.
The task force also includes representations from retail sector, e-commerce, pharmaceutical, technology industry and large manufacturing entities in the US. Renjen shared the Task Force is coordinating with Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Indian Ambassador to the US, who had earlier given them the list of items that are in dire need in India.
“I am very pleased with the fact that these companies have come together. We’re working with the USISPF, as well as the USIBC… and with the Business Roundtable to coordinate this effort to help India in any way that that is required,” he said. “Our point to the US government is to provide assistance (to India), wherever it’s requested,” he added.