A Super Galaxy US military transporter has landed in the early hours in New Delhi on Friday, bearing a relief cargo that includes more than 400 oxygen cylinders, nearly one million rapid coronavirus test kits, and other hospital equipment, news agency AFP reported.
The US Embassy has tweeted arrival pictures of the arrival of the relief plane under the hashtag #USIndiaDosti as it landed at the capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. "The first of several emergency COVID-19 relief shipments from the United States has arrived in India! Building on over 70 years of cooperation, the United States stands with India as we fight the COVID-19 pandemic together. #USIndiaDosti (sic)," the tweet said. Special flights will continue to ferry donations by individuals and companies next week, US embassy officials said.
The US transporter in New Delhi on Friday
Analysts point out that the arrival of the transporter is of immense symbolic value not only in India but also elsewhere, as it helps restore confidence in Washington’s as a reliable international partner that delivers at the time of need. Washington’s timely assistance can also help dent rival China’s refrain that the US has been an unreliable partner during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yet, the dispatch of relief material and pledges that essential raw material to expand India’s vaccination drive will be forthcoming, did not come easy.
Also read: How US gave in to India’s call for vaccine raw materials: the backstory
Doubts about US intent to come to India’s support started to inflame in the public mind after US state department spokesperson Ned Price said last week that "…the United States first and foremost is engaged in an ambitious and effective and, so far, successful effort to vaccinate the American people, " signalling that the despatch of life saving supplies to India was not on Washington’s priority list. India was particularly concerned about importing raw material for expanding production of AstraZeneca’s Covishield to cater to the booming demand for jabs in India and other developing countries.
The relief consignment
But tireless and combined efforts of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and scores of unsung heroes eventually turned the tide in India’s favour.
A dialogue with the US for vaccine feedstock had been continuing much before Adar Poonawalla, the face of Covishield vaccine, had fervently tweeted, appealing to the conscience of US President Joe Biden for the release of supplies that could save millions of lives.
Also read: Help India More : Biden gets overwhelming bipartisan support from US lawmakers
There were at least four tracks of the dialogue which culminated in the US decision to dispatch precious cargo bound for Poonawalla’s labs in Pune. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was deeply invested in talks with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken. A separate channel had been opened between Doval with Jake Sullivan, the US security tzar. Then there were technocrats of the scientific universe led by India’s Principal scientific advisor and co-chair of the Covid-19 vaccine task force, K Vijay Raghavan who were in play to discuss the technical details about the transfers, and much more.
Finally, the Indian-Americans in the US power establishments were playing their part to turn the American decision makers in India’s favour.
The transporter on arrival at New Delhi airport
“It was not as if the US did not want to send the supply. The problem was domestic perception management. How to ‘sell’ to the American people who had been mauled by the virus earlier that help to India was not going to be at their cost,” an insider told India Narrative.
Finally, most of the problems were ironed out on Monday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Biden spoke on the telephone to discuss the Covid situation. "We discussed the evolving Covid situation in both countries in detail. I thanked President Biden for the support being provided by the United States to India," PM Modi said shortly after the conversation.
