Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed setting up a ‘SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund’ and pledged to contribute $10 million toward it, during a teleconference this Sunday with the leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed setting up a ‘SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund’ and pledged to contribute $10 million toward it, during a teleconference this Sunday with the leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The initiative is the brainchild of Modi himself, and suggests that India is serious about coping with the contagion at a time when some Western media outlets have insinuated that it may fail to contain the deadly virus. It is worth bearing in mind that India has an open border with Nepal and a porous one with Bangladesh, which may explain Modi’s eagerness to help out the neighbors.