India received help from 52 countries during second wave of COVID-19, says Centre

International community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that were not immediately available in the country during the second wave of COVID-19 and material from 52 countries have been received till date, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in a written reply that India has imported 31.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 1 and 4.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 2 vaccine till date.

"During the unprecedented crisis of the second wave of COVID pandemic, the International community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that weren't immediately available in country till such time our own domestic production improved," he said.

"Foreign materials from 52 countries have been received till date including from government to government, private to government, private to private, Indian community associations and companies," he added.

The minister said that donations were cleared through the Inter-Ministerial Committee that includes representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Niti Aayog, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

( With inputs from ANI )