Monmouth Medical Center-Southern Campus has honoured a well-known Indian-American doctor for his exemplary work related to Covid-19 related relief and humanitarian work in India and the US. Hailing from Jharkhand’s Ranchi, Dr Avinash Gupta was awarded for his work in public health and social service, news agency PTI reported. He was honoured with the humanitarian award by Monmouth Medical Center-Southern Campus.

Dr Avinash Gupta is the Chief of Cardiology and President-elect of the medical staff at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus (MMCSC) in New Jersey.

After receiving the award, Dr Gupta said, “Being involved with community groups and helping others has always been my passion. Community service is very rewarding and fulfilling. It has enriched me as a person.” (sic)

WORK DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Dr Gupta and his wife did Covid-19 related relief and humanitarian work in India and the US and also helped the students with their internships and workshops.

He virtually attended to many Indians in the US who did not have medical insurance and were unable to visit a medical facility during the Covid-19 lockdown.

When the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit India, Dr Avinash Gupta came up with a teleconsultation service to help the poor and needy. At the time when the United States was reeling under the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Gupta spearheaded a team of 50 doctors and healthcare professionals to vaccinate 3,500 Indian-Americans in Ocean Country in the state of New Jersey.

Dr Gupta, along with his wife Dr Geeta Gupta, helped Indian students arriving in the US for training, workshops, conferences, internships.

In a bid to ease the pressure on overburdened hospitals, Dr Avinash Gupta also attended 1,000 patients and also raised over USD 250,000 for medical relief in India. He also provided assistance to Patna-based NGO AASTHA to build a 10-bed Covid care centre to battle the deadly pandemic.

Avinash Gupta attended to over 1,000 patients, which in turn helped ease the pressure on overburdened hospitals. He also raised over USD 250,000 for medical relief in India and helped AASTHA, a Patna-based NGO to establish a 10-bed Covid Care Center.

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday sought India’s support in mobilising G20 nations to help out developing countries saddled with debt, with three of India’s neighbours already seeking IMF loans as their economies struggle.

India takes over the G20 presidency from Indonesia for a year from Dec 1. India’s neighbours Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh have in recent months sought IMF loans as high oil prices complicate efforts to recover from the economic damage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I count on India’s support in mobilising G20 countries around debt relief,” Guterres told the students and faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. “Many developing countries are at or near debt distress and require multilateral action, including the expansion and extension of the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative.”

Established in May 2020 during the pandemic, the initiative allowed nearly 50 countries to suspend $12.9 billion in debt-service payments until the end of last year.

Guterres said climate change was “already a grave threat” to India’s economy, agriculture and food sector, and to the health, lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.

“Record-breaking heat waves, droughts and floods in parts of India are causing havoc already,” he said. “These are a foretaste of what is to come without much greater global climate action.”

He said G20 countries were responsible for 80% of global emissions and must take the lead in cutting those. Rich countries should also financially help developing ones do so, he said.

“I have called for coalitions of support around countries including India, with ambitious plans to accelerate the deployment of renewables,” said Guterres, who meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday.

Guterres also urged the country to condemn hate speech unequivocally, protect the rights and freedoms of journalists, human rights activists, students and academics, and ensure the independence of the judiciary.

Eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and activist Swadesh Chatterjee, who is known for his immense contribution to strengthening the US-India relationship over the past three decades, has been presented with the highest award by the US state of North Carolina.

North Carolina’s Governor Ray Cooper presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine to Chatterjee, 75, at a ceremony on Friday in Cary, a town in the state.

Cooper described Chatterjee as a spark plug among us as he applauded his contribution not only to the development of North Carolina but also to the India-US relationship and enriching the cultural milieu of the United States.

America’s former ambassador to India, Rich Verma, said Chatterjee who received Padma Bhushan from the Indian Government in 2001, has been at the centre of the key moments that have brought the Indian and US governments closer.

Beginning in 2000 when things started to turn upward in the India-US relationship, Chatterjee was at the centre of the quintessential events that have defined modern US-India ties .

The key developments included former president Bill Clinton’s trip to India in 2000 when he brought to India a message of hope and renewal in the partnership.

Swadesh was not only on the trip with the president, but he was also one of the community leaders who made the trip happen, he said.

Chatterjee played a big role in the Us-India Civil Nuclear deal, he said, adding that he was instrumental in the evolution of bipartisan support to this relationship over the past two decades.

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna recognised him as a great leader for the national Indian American community.

Khanna said Chatterjee was one of the very first Indian Americans in the entire country to get politically engaged.

“He has been instrumental in really forging a post-Cold War relationship between the United States and India, which is going to be critical as we see the rise of China,” he said.

In a video message, India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu said that Chatterjee put in tireless efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between India and the US.

“He is an example of how the diaspora plays an important role in creating a better understanding of India in the United States and vice versa,” Sandhu said.

In his acceptance speech, Chatterjee said that the India-US relationship has come a long way thanks to the efforts of the Indian-American community in the state and in the US.

“But, there are still a lot more important challenges to be done, because the world has changed drastically in the last five-six years,” he said.

“The US-India partnership has just scratched the surface in global health, education, clean energy, and innovation,” Chatterjee said.

“I am really optimistic and also very gung ho about the future of the US- India relationship,” he said.