WASHINGTON, Apr 29:Leaders of the influential Congressional India Caucus held a virtual meeting with India’s Ambassador to the US to discuss the COVID-19 crisis and the proposed waiver to certain provisions of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for the pandemic.
Congressman Brad Sherman, Democratic Co-Chair of India Caucus in the US House of Representatives, said talks were held with Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu about the crisis unfolding in India.
“As Democratic co-chair of the India Caucus, I am of course committed to helping India at this critical time,” Sherman said.
The two vice-chairs of the India Caucus, Congressmen Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz, were also present in the meeting.
In a tweet, Khanna said the US India Caucus was supporting the urgent need for oxygen and PPE.
“Ambassador said India has manufacturing capacity. They along with 59 countries like South Africa need a TRIPS waiver to pay to license the vaccine formula. We need to support,” Khanna said.
During the meeting, the Ambassador briefed the Congressmen on the situation in India and also the various measures being taken to increase the availability of medical oxygen in the country.
Sandhu briefed them on the response of the administration to the crisis in India and shared the requirement of essential items.
The Ambassador also spoke about the QUAD summit and the increasing cooperation with the US and other Quad countries.
“Interactive conversation” with Congressmen Sherman, Chabot, Khanna and Waltz, the leadership of the House India Caucus, the Ambassador tweeted.
“Thanked them for their support for India during the current COVID challenge,” he said. (PTI)
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