India has tremendous capacity in eradicating coronavirus pandemic: WHO
Geneva: India, which led the world in eradicating two silent killers -- smallpox and polio -- in the past, has a tremendous capacity in eradicating the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has now claimed nearly 15,000 lives globally, according to a top WHO official.
The executive director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Michael Ryan, said India, the world's second most populous country, has a tremendous capacity to deal with the coronavirus outbreak as it has the experience of eradicating the small-pox and polio through targeted public intervention.
"India led the world in eradicating two silent killers and eliminating them from the country," he said during a press conference in Geneva on Monday on the COVID-19 pandemic.
India, through targeted public intervention, ended smallpox and gave a great gift to the world. India also eradicated polio, he noted.
"India has tremendous capacities. It is exceptionally important that countries like India lead the way to show the world what can be done," Ryan said.
India led the world in eradicating two silent killers, small-pox and polio so India has a tremendous capacity," Ryan said.
"There are no easy answers. It is exceptionally important that countries like India show the way to the world as they have done before," he said.
His remarks came as the WHO said the number of deaths soared to 14,652, with more than 334,000 people infected worldwide.
India has reported 492 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths, according to Health Ministry data on Tuesday. The total number of active COVID-19 cases across the country now stands at 446, after over 22 fresh cases were reported, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday warned that the coronavirus pandemic was clearly "accelerating" but said it was still possible to "change the trajectory" of the outbreak.
"The pandemic is accelerating," Tedros told journalists in a virtual news briefing.
He said it took 67 days from the beginning of the outbreak in China in late December for the virus to infect the first 100,000 people worldwide.
In comparison, it took 11 days for the second 100,000 cases and just four days for the third 100,000 cases, he said.
"The #COVID19 pandemic is accelerating. It took 67 days from the 1st reported case to reach the first 100K cases, 11 days for the second 100K cases & just 4 days for the third 100K cases.
"These numbers matter, these are people, whose lives & families have been turned upside down," Tedros tweeted later.
"We are not helpless bystanders. We can change the trajectory of this pandemic," Tedros said.
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Closely following developments: India on US bill to impose tariffs on nations procuring Russian oil
New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday said it is closely following developments relating to a proposed legislation by the US that seeks to impose up to 500 per cent tariffs on countries procuring Russian crude oil.
India and China are among a handful of countries which are procuring significant volumes of crude oil from Russia.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, the author of the bill, said this week that President Donald Trump has green-lighted the proposed legislation.
"We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
India has been stoutly defending its procurement of Russian crude oil, saying the purchase is driven by market dynamics and to address the energy requirement of 1.4 billion people of the country.
"Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known," Jaiswal said.
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"In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people," he said.
On Wednesday, Senator Graham said he had a "very productive meeting" with Trump and that the president has green-lighted the Russia sanctions bill that has been in the works for months.
"This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace, and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent. This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries that buy cheap Russian oil, fuelling Putin's war machine," Graham said on social media this week.
"This bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that provides the financing for Putin's bloodbath against Ukraine," he said.
The bill has proposed a 500 per cent tariff on secondary purchase and reselling of Russian oil.
Earlier this week, Graham said that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra informed him about New Delhi reducing its purchases of Russian oil and asked him to convey to President Trump to "relieve the tariff" imposed on India.
The US has been putting pressure on India to cut its procurement of Russian crude oil as it believes Moscow is financing its war against Ukraine using the oil revenue.
India turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Consequently, from a mere 1.7 per cent share in total oil imports in 2019-20, Russia's share increased to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25.
