While India has historically come to Bhutan’s aid — from helping in the 5-year plans since the 1960s, or natural calamities such as 2007 floods or 2009 earthquake — as the second surge of Covid-19 pandemic overwhelmed India’s healthcare system and led to a shortage of medical oxygen, the tables have turned. The small Himalayan nation has come to the rescue of its mighty neighbour.
From a state health minister’s brainwave to South Block’s intervention, and from the Indian ambassador’s prompt approach to the Bhutanese King’s personal attention, this is a story of close-knit coordination between states, the Centre, embassy, and a foreign country.
The Sunday Express spoke to officials in both countries to piece together the story that India is likely to get 40 metric tonnes of oxygen every day — equivalent to 10,000 Oxygen cylinders — from Bhutan next month.
On April 25, Himanta Biswa Sarma, then Assam Health minister and the state’s new Chief Minister, was chatting with Pravin Jain, director of Guwahati-based Meghalaya Oxygen company, about their joint venture project in eastern Bhutanese district of Samdrup Jongkhar, only 7 km opposite Assam’s Baksa district. During the conversation, Jain mention that their plans to produce liquid oxygen in Bhutan had been put on hold due to pandemic-related restrictions in the neighbouring nation.
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