KATHMANDU: The medical supplies 31.6 million sent by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA-US) on behalf of the US Government have arrived in Kathmandu Tuesday morning.
The NRNA and the US Department of Defense had earlier agreed to support Nepal and its people during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.
A US military aircraft carrying 4.8 tons worth of medical equipment and supplies landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) from Salt Lake City, Utah.
The U.S. military had earlier agreed to transport supplies under the auspices of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Meanwhile, the NRNA in the United States of America has signed an agreement with the US government to allow free transportation of relief supplies to Nepal during disasters as well.
This free transportation that started with the agreement has proved to be a stepping stone for the Non-Resident Nepali Association of America and its Support Campaign to Nepal.
Buddhi Sagar Subedi, President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association of America, and Rajiv Shrestha, Treasurer, had written to the Secretary of Defense, which was represented by Major General William K. Basinger, Director of the Utah National Guard State Partnership Program.
Meanwhile, Subedi said that the NRNA USA will be able to send free aid materials to Nepal through the US Secretary of Defense’s assistance program in disasters and pandemics.
Likewise, this agreement is considered significant considering the high cost of transportation from the United States to Nepal.
Although the US Army and the Nepal Army have long had bilateral relations, the Secretary of Defense’s support for grassroots assistance in Nepal has been positively received by Nepali organizations and dignitaries in the United States.
Keshav Poudel, former President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association of America, says, “This agreement has made it much easier to help Nepal with pandemics and disasters. It was difficult to send as much aid as needed from the United States due to the high cost of transportation in the 2015 earthquake.
But at that time, NRNA America and other Nepali organizations and families in the United States sent more than 10 billion rupees to Nepal. ”
Meanwhile, the NRN-America has provided 64 sets of Oxygen Concentrators, 30 sets of Oxygen Pulse Oximeters, 26 sets of Volt Step Up-Down Transformers, N95 Masks in large quantity, KN 95 Masks in 2,108 boxes, Face Shields in large quantity, and Surgical Gown Suits of various sizes.
Similarly, a total of 4.8 tons of medical supplies have been sent to Nepal in five pallets including a box, a large number of swab testers, and 15 boxes of C-Pap equipment.
Meanwhile, Subedi has already arrived in Kathmandu to hand over the health equipment and supplies sent to Nepal in support of the campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chairman Subedi said that on behalf of the Non-Resident Nepali Association USA, the Government of Nepal would hand over the supplies to the Ministry of Health and Population.
Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nepal Army, the US Embassy, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) attended the handover ceremony at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
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