PM Modi thanks SAARC leaders for their contribution towards COVID-19 emergency fund

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended his profound gratitude towards the SAARC leaders for their significant contribution to the COVID-19 emergency fund. Addressing the SAARC leaders and representatives on March 15 via video conferencing, PM Modi had proposed the emergency fund with an initial offer of USD 10 million from India for the purpose.

Afghanistan and Maldives on March 21 pledged to contribute USD 1.2 million to SAARC Corona Emergency Fund proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister acknowledged the contribution by Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and thanked the respective nations for showing solidarity with South Asian neighbours. PM Modi added that the cooperation will go a long way in fighting the disease effectively. 

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‘Must work together’

Modi, on March 15, addressed a SAARC video conference to share each other efforts and issues as the seven countries battle the pandemic. The video conference was led by PM Modi and was attended by Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, Maldives President Ibrahim Solih, Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's assistant - Dr Zafar Mirza. PM Modi highlighted the SAARC's ancient ties and said, 'We must work and succeed together'. 

Globally, around 11,800 people have died due to Coronavirus, with the epicenter being China. The virus has infected around 2,87,000 people globally and has now spread to North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and more than 100 other countries.

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