Red Cross to distribute USAID relief
The Hindu
It’s in line with MEA note on April 29 to that effect
Oxygen-related items and medicines coming from the U.S. will be distributed by the Indian Red Cross, said the US Embassy on Sunday. “As each U.S. shipment arrives, USAID is transferring ownership of provided materials upon their arrival to the Government of India through the Indian Red Cross organisation,” it said. The statement is in line with the directive from the Ministry of External Affairs which had instructed on April 29 that the Indian Red Cross and other NGOs would be part of the process of distribution of the items among the healthcare workers and hospitals. The reiteration of the role of the Red Cross came soon after 1,25,000 vials of the antiviral drug Remdesivir arrived on Sunday evening from the U.S. in the 4th shipment of relief material on board an aircraft of USAID.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.