New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the neighbouring countries on Sunday to come together to fight challenges from Novel Corona virus, India offered to set up a Covid-19 emergency fund for the benefit of the SAARC Nations.

Modi said during a video conference of the SAARC leaders that India will contribute initially a sum of $ 10 million which could be used by any of the Member State of its urgent requirement. This $ 10 million could be based on voluntary contributions from all of us. He also said that the foreign Secretaries of the SAARC Countries could co-ordinate through their embassies on the utilization of this fund.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajpakse, Maldives President Ibrahim Mohammed Solah, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering attended the video conference. The Pakistan was represented by its Health Minister Dr. Zafar Mirza who used the opportunity to lock down in J & K. Modi offered to place the Rapid Response Task Force that India is creating and testing kits at the deposit of SAARC members. He also offered online training to health personnel of SAARC member states, and create common platform to co-ordinate research on controlling epidemic diseases within the region.