Russia Govt’s Rosoboronexport Donates $2 Million for PM CARES Fund

Russian Government’s main defence export body, Rosoboronexport has donated $2 million for PM CARES Fund formed to deal with the COVID crisis. The money has already been transferred.

As a source said, “Traditionally India has been one of the major partners of Rosoboronexport as of the supplier of military products. Now it is helping India in the humanitarian domain. The amount of donation is $2 million”.

Adding, “This is an act of solidarity in countering the new epidemiological threat.”

The Citizen Assistance & Relief in Emergency Situations Fund or PM CARES fund, established by the Indian government, has received the donation from Rosoboronexport for the purposes of acquiring the medical equipment and medical protective gear.

Indian Embassy in Moscow has publicized PM CARES Fund widely. In fact, Indian ambassador to Russia D. Bala Venkatesh Varma made a video appeal to publicize PM CARES Fund in Russia.

The last big deal India signed with Rosoboronexport was in October of 2018 for the S400 air defence missile system. Rosoboronexport is the first foreign donor to acknowledge its contribution to PM CARES fund.

Indian govt has announced that PM CARES Fund, being a public charitable trust will accept a contribution from India and abroad “keeping in mind the unprecedented nature of the pandemic”

Rosoboronexport is part of the Russian govt and announcement shows the traditional warm ties both Moscow and New Delhi enjoy. Last month Indian PM Modi and Russian President Putin had spoken on the COVID crisis issue. It was followed by a talk between, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov during which both sides talked about the close bilateral cooperation in ensuring the welfare of each other’s stranded citizens in their respective countries due to COVID crisis. About 15,000 Indian students in Russia and about 5000 Russian tourists are in India. Later this month, as part of BRICS joint plan to deal with COVID, Health Officials of all BRICS countries will meet via video conference.

Source: WION